


Eugenics

by jazzsingerr1985



Category: Avengers (Comics), Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Action & Romance, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Military, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Angst and Drama, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Cabins, Darkness, Deception, Drama, Dreams, Dreams and Nightmares, Dreamsharing, F/M, Family, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Forests, Human Experimentation, Kidnapping, Love Confessions, Love Triangles, Marvel Universe, Murder, Mutual Pining, Pining, Plot Twists, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sexual Tension, Super Soldier Serum, Superpowers, Wolves, World War III
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2020-10-10 08:08:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 27
Words: 86,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20524742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jazzsingerr1985/pseuds/jazzsingerr1985
Summary: Becky Morrison had no idea what she was in for, neither did Steve Rogers... Who knew they could find love in hopeless circumstances? Life definitely never goes as planned.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I hope that you guys enjoy my work in progress and find it entertaining! :) Lots of love! It was hard to write the scene that you'll read later...I guess I get attached the characters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my work. I have lots of plans for this story. Make sure to bookmark so you don't miss any updates. Please leave kudos if you enjoy this work. I appreciate it and it makes my day.
> 
> Warning, you'll get attached to these characters ♡ I hope you find it entertaining and love these characters as much as I do.
> 
> Note: The military in this story is set in an alternative universe, not the same military with the policies of the current United States Military, so please keep this in mind as the story progresses.

“It’s just a medical trial, it’ll give us $30,000. We could use that for our wedding, and for a down payment on a house,” She said smiling over the phone to her fiancée David.

“I don’t know Becky,” David said hesitantly, “The military doesn’t always have the best reputation… Did they explain all the potential risks?”

“Yes, they did,” She reassured him, “They told me that I made it through all the medical screenings and my aptitude test.”

“Well, you’re a smart girl… I’m not surprised you made it through. How long will you be away for?”

“They told me to expect about 3 – 4 months… I know that’s a long time without seeing you. I’m going to miss you so much”.

“Me too, sweetheart.”

“Well, we’ll talk about this later at dinner tonight. I have to wrap up some last-minute things here at work, so I’ll meet you at 7pm at Orwell’s Bar?”

“Yes, you will. If I get there before you – I’ll get us a table,” said David.

“Sounds good honey, I missed you today. Can’t wait to see you,” Then Becky kissed him through the phone, the sound is short and sweet. “Bye honey”, she said and then hung up.

* * *

**A few weeks later…**

Becky was on a stretcher and looked around the room at the brick walls and medical equipment, it was an intimidating environment. She looked over at the other side of the room and saw a young man laying down in a hospital bed with blonde hair. He seemed to be sleeping and also hooked up with some tubes with liquids inside them.

“Alright Ms. Morrison… How are you feeling today?” asked the nurse.

“I’m feeling fine,” she said “Just a little nervous… I didn’t realize that I would be in an underground facility for the 3-4-month period.”

“You will be asleep for that part, so you won’t even feel the time go by,” she said with a reassuring smile.

“I mean…” she squirmed “I was hoping that, um…I would be able to call my fiancée, even for a few minutes to say goodnight during my time here. Let him know that I’m alright.”

The nurse took her eyes away from her clipboard and sternly looked over at her, “This isn’t going to be a PROBLEM, is it?”

Regret filled Becky’s mind. “No Ma’am. I’m sorry.”

The nurse’s face relaxed slightly and she faintly nodded and turned around and walked out of the room. She came back with a VHS tape. “After he wakes up and only after HE wakes up,” gesturing over to the blonde man on the other side of the room, “Play this for further instructions for you. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Ma’am…” she said. Becky looked over at her right arm, the needle pumping and the various mystery liquids. She was starting to have second thoughts when she heard hurried footsteps, the nurse came back and stepped into her view.

“Alright, Ms. Morrison… I will be counting you down from number 10 and you should be asleep. Count with me going backwards…”

Panic started to flood Becky’s mind and her heart rate was starting to go up on the monitors.

“10… 9… 8...” said the nurse.

“No, please. I don’t want to do this anymore.”

“7… 6…”

“Hey, stop!”

The nurse shook her head annoyed “5… 4…”

“Are you listening to me? I don’t want this. I’m scared! Please!” she yelled.

“3… 2…”

And she was asleep.

* * *

**Undisclosed time later...**

Becky sighed, feeling hollow in her chest, she inhaled and exhaled as she saw him stir in his sleep on the computer screen. He was starting to wake from his medically induced sleep. “Be ready for anything,” she said to herself. She grabbed her notepad and pen and headed into his room.

Her foot pace slowed down the hall as she reached the heavily bolted door, she took another deep breath to calm herself and refocus. She undid the latch and opened the door. There he was, his piercing blue eyes met her with concern. “Good morning, Steve. Or should I say afternoon”, she said to him with a smile on her face and calm voice.

“Where am I?” he asked.

“You’re in a recovery room in New York city,” she replied.

The radio chimed in, “The Dodgers take the lead, 8-4. Oh, Dodgers! Everyone is on their feet. What a game we have here today, folks. What a game indeed,” said the radio announcer.

Steve looked back at Becky suspiciously, “Where am I really?” his voice sounding darker.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” she responded, trying not to let her nerves show.

“The game, it’s from May, 1941. I know, cause I was there.”

He got up from the bed. It was then that Becky realized how massive he was and she started to feel scared. “Now, I’m gonna ask you again. Where am I?”

“Captain Rogers…” She gasped “You’re with me…as far as I know…just with me,” Steve looked at her confused. “I’ve been left in charge of taking care of you since…recent events have taken place…” she lowered her eyes to the ground with sadness.

“What events took place?” he said more concerned.

Becky looked away to compose herself and then back into his blue eyes, one wrong word and he was ready to freak out. “I’m sorry…but so far…as far as I know…. we are survivors of World War III”.

Steve glanced down at the diamond ring on her finger.

“They told me when you wake up to act and dress like this, so that way you wouldn’t be confused. They also said if I did this, then they would let me go and see my family once the mission is over…” Becky looked away “But I don’t know how, after seeing that wasteland through our cameras outside if there’s anyone left…Nor do I really know for sure… how long we have truly been asleep Captain.” She sighed as her shoulders lowered and relaxed. He knew she was telling the truth.

“What mission? Why were we both asleep?”

“I don’t know, Captain. All I know is they told me to view this tape ONLY once you wake up. So, I’ll take you to the control room and we’ll see what’s on here. Come with me. I’m Becky, by the way.”

Becky couldn’t breathe, being around him felt intoxicating _“Was it his eyes? His voice? Face? His…SCENT? Weird,” _She thought_._ She opened the door leading out of the mock hospital recovery room and into a dark, dingy, hallway that led to another room. The space had multiple tv screens and a control panel to move the cameras in what looked like to be around the perimeter. There was also a long table with various controls on it as well and another room with a kitchen and food supplies. She turned back to Steve and said “See Captain Rogers….” Pointing to the screens. Steve couldn’t believe what he saw, bits of what used to exist all covered in grey ashes – you could see the sun in the sky, but it was covered in a grey cloud of radiation.

Then there was a noise that came from Steve’s stomach, both of them turned to it surprised.

“Oh right…” she said turning away from the controls. “You must be starving. Hang on a second,” She immediately went into the kitchen. Steve followed her in there. “I hope you like our supplies. A lot has changed since the 1940’s. You’ll think this is cool,” She turned around and shows a silver package with a zip lock on the top of the package – the label said “Beef Ravioli”.

“What do I do with this?” Steve asked puzzled holding the package.

“Well, just add water like so…” she poured some in “Zip lock it up again, and shake the contents… You’ll notice the packet will start to feel warm… This is heating up the food and then you just eat out of it…. They are called MRE’s – I believe Meals Ready to Eat! See no dishes afterwards!” she joked. After a minute or so of shaking, she opened the packet and gave it to him and then started making one for herself. She looked at him, he was hesitant “I haven’t had lunch yet today. Eat.” She said.

“It’s not bad,” he said.

“I’m sorry about earlier, when you woke up,” she said.

Steve looked back at her and they just continued eating their food. After a few minutes she spoke up again.

“I’m afraid to open the door, the hatch is up there,” she pointed to it then looked back at Steve. “Before the team put me to sleep, they said I would be under for 3 - 4 months. They told me when I woke up that I would receive further instructions on taking care of you. I’m assuming that it’s on this tape right here,” she picked it up in her left hand showing him “Now hopefully we can get to playing it so we can see what is going on here,” she turned around looking at the table in the middle of the room, looking for an opening to play it.

“So…You never... Opened the door?” he asked.

“When I woke up, not a soul was here… Except you,” her voice started to quiver, “I think they abandoned us…” her voice trailed off. “I saw the monitor and it showed a desolate wasteland. If I were to open the hatch, then the radiation could kill us both, so I never opened it.”

He looked at her skeptically.

“I’m only allowed to be wrong once, and I didn’t feel like taking another’s life if I was wrong. You’re welcome, Captain.” She turned back to the controls and plugged in the tape and pressed play…


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Approach this with an open mind. Nick Fury is an amazing character because he's so versatile, he could also play an awesome bad guy. I hope you all enjoy :) Please let me know if you enjoyed it, or if you have any feedback for me to make it better. Thank you for taking the time to read my work :)

“Here we go…” said Becky.

Then the screen in the middle of the table lit up, and a black man with a bald head and an eye patch was on screen.

“Oh my God!” she exclaimed with a smile on her face, “It’s Nick Fury!” she sighed in relief.

“Who is Nick Fury?” Steve asked looking over at her.

“Oh, he’s so awesome!” she smiled at Steve. “He’s one of the most respected, and best men that we have serving in the military… He’s smart too, so if you ever get instructions – you’d probably want to get it from him. He’ll know a way out of this.” She said confidently as she turned back to the screen.

“Welcome, Becky Morrison!”

Becky gasped with delight “Ah, he knows my name!” she glanced over at Steve excited.

“Welcome, Steve Rogers!”

Steve looked at the screen intently.

“If you have followed my instructions correctly, you two will be the only people in this underground facility. Both of you have gone through our extensive military testing to get to this point. Congratulations…”.

Becky smiled even more, it was truly an honour to be addressed (even by video that was prerecorded) by such a high ranking and respected officer.

“You are now part of an experiment in Eugenics.”

All of a sudden, Becky’s smile faded from her face and everything in her mind froze. She felt a coldness creep into her bones.

“Wait! What?!” Becky exclaimed. “That’s illegal…” she said looking over at Steve.

“Eugenics… People did that in the last war,” Steve said ominously, his eye locked on Fury.

“We have locked in the world’s first Super Soldier,” then the computer displayed Steve’s face and statistics displaying his height, weight, date of birth. “And have given him an injection turning him into the world’s first, what we call, “Alpha”. Then we have locked into the compound with him a human female subject, also given an injection to increase her fertility.”

“Fertility??!!” she said frowning her eyebrows, watching the screen change to her statistics and photo.

“Turning her into the world’s first “Omega”. Together…they will breed to provide us with the world’s first super soldier offspring…making our nation…the best in the world... Unstoppable”.

It was so quiet in the room that you could hear a pin drop.

“No…” she said looking down at her diamond ring on the verge of crying, Steve looked over at her soberly as what he was saying was starting to sink in, then looked back at the TV screen.

“The Omega will wake up first. I’m looking at you Becky!” She locked her eyes at the screen with anger now, her hand turning into a fist. “She will go into what’s theoretically expected to be her first heat. Heat, means exactly that – her body will burn up with a fever, and an undeniable desire to mate.”

“Whaaat?” she said wide-eyed, mouth agape.

“Something to note, this could be lethal if she is not… “tended” to properly… and what do Omega’s crave the most when in heat? Their Alpha… That’s you Steve,” he said pointing at the camera with a deviant smile on his face. Steve stared at the screen and frowned his eyebrows in anger. “Her pheromones will wake the Alpha from his sleep, and then the fun begins. He will start to get aggressive with her.”

“No… No… This can’t be happening,” she said shaking her head on the verge of panic, stepping back from the control table. Steve looked back at her taking a breath in and then looked back at the recording on the screen.

“You'll feed off each other’s pheromones, each breath in makes you crave each other. The Alpha will experience what in theory we call a “Rut” – a man’s got needs you know…" Fury raised an eyebrow, "Try that times 100!” He said in a mocking tone with a light laugh escaping his lips. Steve was starting to get really agitated.

“He will get more and more aggressive, until he gets what he wants from his Omega – it’s also lethal if his needs aren’t met as well.” Both of them could not believe what they were hearing. “It’s going to be painful for the both of you, and the heat/rut cycles can last for 4-7 days… Maybe even longer depending on how much you guys like each other.” She looked down at the floor feeling defeated. “Our little experiment,” smile on his face. “Oh, that reminds me…Have you guys noticed something on your necks, just slightly below your ears?” Both of them ran their fingertips along the sides there and felt bumps, almost like blisters on each side of the neck.

“There’s some new scent glands for you to explore… There’s also some on the insides of your wrists… Not sure if you noticed by now.” They looked down and in fact saw what he was talking about.

"I wondered what those were..." Becky thought out loud. Steve glanced at her, a worried expression on his face as he turned back to Fury on the screen.

“Wanna know the dirt?" Fury's voice was making Becky's stomach turn. "During mating the Omega will crave her Alpha’s Knot, the Knot will inflate upon intercourse, where you two will be stuck together for at least 20 minutes before it starts to deflate to insure higher probability of fertilization.”

"Oh God!" Becky gasped and put her hands over her mouth in horror.

"Oh it gets better, you two…” Both looking back up at the screen now, “You’ll be giving us your young pups. They will belong to us! Our offspring of the Super Soldier! I suggest you start liking each other quickly, because there’s only two of you who are like this in the entire world.”

“The entire world?” said Steve.

“Now that your body’s have changed, you will forever crave your opposite. None else will satisfy."

Becky looked at her ring on her left hand and felt disgusted. "Instincts, you will want to bite the glands on each other... Claim each other as your own…Forever,” said Fury with a smile and he started to laugh. She stared wide-eyed at the screen and thought about her fiancée and possibly never seeing him again. Steve’s shoulders relaxed and he sighed, slowly turning his head to look at Becky. “What??” said Fury on the screen, they both looked up at Fury again, “You didn’t have any other plans, did you? Hahaha!” and with that, a shot of rage flowed through Becky and with a scream she threw a glass bottle at the screen and broke the TV.

Steve stared at her for a minute, she looked back at him as well and started to cry… but then… she felt something… something in her body. She whimpered. A reaction between her legs, starting to get warm there, a sharp contrast to when her body felt cold from the fear she was experiencing while Fury was speaking. Looking in his eyes did something to her. “Oh! No!” she said and immediately darted down the hall towards her living quarters. It had the ability to be used as a panic room, she needed to get away from him. Steve was close behind her; she was worried he was feeling the same thing she was; she couldn’t handle it.

“Wait! Becky! I have questions! Stop!” yelled Steve from down the hall.

“No!” was all she could say, wind brushing her skin on her face. Adrenaline coursing through her veins. She was almost at the room… just a few feet away. She made it in and turns around to see Steve running, just turning the corner, he stopped right in his tracks in the hallway as soon as they locked eyes. There was a moment of silence, just heavy breathing on both sides. Becky realized _“I’ve gotta do this now”_ and activated the panic room button and a 10 inch steel door slid across the entrance of the room and locked with a loud thud separating them.

Steve ran over to the door, looking it over, trying to find a weakness. There was an intercom buzzing and her voice came through, “Steve” she said. “I can’t let you in. I’m sure you understand.”

“Can you hear me?” Steve said in front of the door.

“Yes,” she responded, intercom crackling in between voices.

“Look, Becky. I need your help.”

“I’m sure you do,” she said in a condescending voice.

“No, not like that!” he retorted.

“Ah huh?” she said skeptically. “Then, tell me “Super Soldier” … What is it like for you then?”

This ticked him off, Steve frowned his eyebrows in and yelled “Open the door right now or I will bust my way in, and you won’t like it! I have questions, and I need answers!”

“No!” She yelled back through the speakers.

Steve shook his head in frustration and started punching the door.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With each punch, the door shook making Becky leap out of her chair looking for anything that could be used as a weapon, only to be in vain as the only thing sharp enough would be the pen at her desk. She knew it would only be a matter of time before he would burst down the door and there will be nothing separating them anymore. She had to hide, but it was such a small space she knew he would find her in no time. As pathetic as she thought it was, she hid under her bed with her pen in hand, holding her breath, watching the door get more and more imprints from his fists coming from the other side.

Boom! Boom! Boom!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time out of your day for reading my work!  
Please comment on what you liked and what you thought could be improved as I always want to improve and know what's working for me and what isn't.  
Lots of love :)

There was no relenting, Steve just kept punching the door... and more and more the door started to take on a different shape. As a last-minute attempt, Becky came out from under the bed and grabbed the commlink and started talking, “Steve… Steve… Please! Stop! You’re scaring me! I’m afraid of you…” Then the punching stopped. There was silence for what felt like forever. _“Did he walk away?”_ She thought. Then, a small unrecognizable sound reached her ears… sounds of… sobbing? “Steve?” Becky said through the microphone. “Are you there?” she said. She went over to her desk to look at the visual in front of her door, only to see Steve sitting down, his back resting on the heavy door with his head down… and it looked like… he was crying.

Becky sat at her desk looking at him on the monitor and thought for a minute…_”I really don’t know this guy. How do I know this isn’t some sort of act?”_. She took a deep breath, grabbed the commlink and said in a calming voice “Steve… Steve… Talk to me.”

Steve gulped because he was starting to feel symptoms of sexual cravings, but he needed to keep himself in line. He took a breath in and looked up at the door, “Look, last time I was awake – it was 1945! So far, you seem to be the only person, or friend who has helped me so far. I’m scared too… and I’m really confused.”

Nothing but silence on Becky’s end, the speaker on the intercom went dead. A few more moments of silence passed. Then the quiet broke, “This must be very hard for you Steve… I will try to help you through it as best as I can, but I cannot be physical with you. Do you understand me?” the last part sounding firm.

“Yes, Ma’am,” he said looking up at the camera, his face on the screen, his blue eyes shining in the light fresh from tears. He was vulnerable… and beautiful and she could sense his honesty.

“Ok, Steve,” Becky’s voice echoed through the hallway, “I’m going to come out now, so please… Don’t jump me.” Becky pushed the button and the steel door retracted, leaving them face to face. Steve's frame towered over her. Becky looked down to the floor, not sure if she had made the right decision and should’ve left the door closed. “You’re very strong,” she finally said. Steve looked at her confused. She pointed to the side “Look at what you did to the door.” He stared at the door and felt a bit of shame for seeing how reckless he acted, “You lift weights much?” she said for some comic relief.

“Sometimes, but it was the serum they gave me that made me strong.”

They locked eyes again for the first time since he chased her, there was definitely a connection there. Becky looked away and started walking away down the hall and back into the control room. Her bed and her desk were in his sights behind her and it was making her uncomfortable knowing he could see that, so she had to move away to a more neutral location to talk more. "_Maybe see if we could come up with some sort of plan," _she thought as she felt heat in her cheeks, she had to keep walking and pretend not to notice.

"Walk with me," she said, "You said you had questions for me?"

"Yes," he responded looking into her eyes "What day is it?"

Becky sighed, “To be honest with you Captain, I don’t really know. Reason why, is because I don’t know for sure exactly how long we have been asleep for and have no way of verifying what day it is today…But if what you’re telling me is true, that you last were around in 1945… before they put me in here, it was July 2018,” she looked back at him with sad eyes. “I hope this gives you a point of reference.”

“I was born July 4th, 1918…” he said slowly looking at her.

Her eyes jetted back to his, “You’re 100 years old…” they both stopped in their tracks and just looked at each other in the quiet, dark hallway. Each having sorrow in their eyes. She sighed and looked away again and started walking over to the control room and the kitchen.

She looked at the shards of broken glass and remembered when she threw that bottle at Nick Fury’s face. She couldn’t believe that someone she heard of since childhood, such a well-respected citizen, role model even, could be this morally corrupt. “I have to clean up this mess,” she said sarcastically smiling. She brought the broom out and started sweeping it up into a small pile when she heard plastic being dragged on the floor. Steve brought over the garbage can without even being asked. She smiled at him, he was so helpful and sweet. “Thank you,” she said, grabbing the dustpan and disposing the glass.

After that was done, they sat down across from one another at the small kitchen table and made some more of the MRE’s.

“Any other questions you have for me, Captain?” She asked.

“I’m sure I do; it’s just they aren’t coming to me right now. I’m sure they will later on though”.

“Maybe cars…” she said out of nowhere, “Were there cars on the road when you were around?”

“Yes,” he said cracking a smile, “Yes, there were cars on the road.”

“Oh, great…because there a fuck ton on the roads now.”

“Language, young lady!” he scolded.

Surprised by his reproach, she shrugged and corrected herself, “Ugh, what I meant to say was that there are thousands upon thousands of different cars on the road today.” She felt stupid, “Music…I guess the kind of music you guys listened to were Big Band, Swing and Jazz, right?”

“Yeah, that sounds about right. There’s opera too, depending on what you like.” He said looking into her eyes again. The blue in them were brilliant, like stars from across the table, she couldn’t stop looking at them.

“Yeah, I didn’t take you for an opera guy,” she laughed “I guess you weren’t around for the birth of rock and roll, were you?” she said almost teasing with a slight smile on her face. He met her gaze and felt a pleasant quiver reach down his spine.

“I haven’t heard of it,” he smiled.

“Well, maybe I’ll introduce you someday…” Then she looked down at the table and frowned. She sighed, “What am I even saying?” as she turned to look at the tv screen showing the wasteland outside, “Just talking about days gone by, and never will happen again.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m glad we’re not alone. We can at least talk to each other,” he smiled.

She liked his optimism, she definitely needed more of that in her life. She looked down at her engagement ring and immediately her mood turned in a sad direction. She stood up from the table and walked over to the control desk and sat down looking at the various screens and controlling the movement of the cameras. “Come here, Captain. You should learn how to maneuver these things and become familiar with them, in case I need a break or if something happens to me…”

He immediately frowned his eyebrows together, “What do you mean, if something happens to you?” he said seriously. She looked at him confused. “Nothing bad is going to happen to you…” She was taken aback, “I wouldn’t let that happen,” he whispered, looking her straight in the eyes.

“Here…” she said ignoring his words, “Let me just teach you the basics,” he caught on in 5 minutes. “Wow, you’re one of the easiest student’s I’ve ever trained," she praised.

Steve glanced back at her “Becky, your cheeks?” He noticed, “They look like they are turning red.”

Becky breathed in, “Ahhh, is that what’s happening to me. I thought I was starting to feel feverish while we were eating at the table…” Then she stopped and thought about what she just said wide-eyed…"_The heat…it might be starting soon. Hopefully, he won’t catch on.”_ She felt a little worried now. “You know what, it’s been a long day… for the both of us. I’m going to head back to my quarters and turn in for the night… if it is even night time?” she said looking at the screen.

“Can I walk you back, Becky?” he asked sweetly.

“No, I’ll be alright,” she said straightening up and pulling in her chair. She turned back to him, “Let me know if you need anything, you know where to find me. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Steve nodded, and she turned and walked down the hall. Steve watched her walk all the way until she turned the corner, listening to her footsteps. He noticed there was a beautiful smell in the air, like roses mixed with lavender, and a small fire lit up in his belly. "_No, I have to keep it down and keep my wits about me,”_ he thought to himself.

Staring at what seemed like hours on the screen, he noticed something blip on all the screens at the same time. He thought it was him not paying attention, but he decided to time it just in case, and it wasn’t until it happened 2 hours later when he saw another blip happen again in all the cameras. “This is suspicious…” he said out loud. He walked down the hall to Becky’s quarters and knocked.

The intercom speaker squeaked, then he heard Becky’s voice, “Hi Steve, what’s going on?”

“I think something is going on with all the cameras, I timed it… I think there’s a blip every 2 hours.”

Immediately she opened the door. Steve went wide-eyed as Becky was sweating, cheeks red, eyes looked irritated, and then a waft again, only 10 times stronger of roses and lavender filled his senses, making his jaw drop open.

“I don’t have much strength right now… but I need you to show it to me.”

Steve nodded in agreement, “Can you walk?”

She looked down and frowned her eyebrows together frustrated, “No, I may fall down. My strength is compromised, Captain.”

"I will help you."

She was hesitant to trust him, “You know what Fury said, 100 times! Man’s needs, right?”

“Well, I have the will power of a man, 100 times,” he said to her with a reassuring smile. Becky’s face relaxed, knowing he was being sincere. He picked her up bridal style, her hands wrapped around his neck and he carried her into the control room with ease and brought her to a chair. She looked over some old papers the old staff had left behind. 

She thought for a long time, looking at charts and back up at the monitors. “Steve… Steve, I was thinking…What if,” she turned to him in the chair beside her, “I mean… what if everything Fury said was not true? I mean,” Then she looked at her arms resting on the desk and turned them to see the inside of her wrists to reveal the scent glands. “I know our bodies have changed… but how do we know… How do we know that Fury is really telling us the truth?”

“We don’t,” he responded seriously, “Not unless we go up that hatch and open the door.”

“What?!” She said, “No Steve, that’s not what I meant. Don’t do that! That’s not safe!”

“We’re sitting ducks in here.”

“Steve, please don’t,” she didn’t like what she was hearing, but deep down inside she knew he was right.

“I’m the one who was made in to a Super Soldier. If I take a peek, I could handle it.”

“Steve, don’t go!” she called out to him as he started to walk away.

He stopped and turned around and walked back to her, “Why?” he asked, Becky’s scent was getting stronger.

“I have to get back to my fiancée,” she said bringing up her left hand with the diamond ring on it, “If you go, and something happens to you I will be all alone… Now, I wasn’t awake for very long before you woke up, but even before then, I had a job to do. I had to check your vitals, keep an eye on you through the monitor, make sure your fluids were topped up so you wouldn’t get dehydrated.” She paused, “If you were gone, I would go crazy in here… and probably kill myself.”

“No, don’t say that,” he said, he raised his hand and brushed her red-hot cheek, then she noticed his eyes changed to a darker shade of blue. Then out of nowhere he picked her up out of the chair and threw her over his shoulder and started walking with her to the direction of her quarters. She objected and told him to put her down, he didn’t respond, only increased his speed going down the hall. He opened up the door and threw her onto her mattress.

He got up off the bed and looked at her, “Don’t try to stop me… and don’t move until I get back!” Then he slammed the button for the panic room door to close and quickly exited the room.

He raced up the ladder that led to the shaft, he had to know for sure. He turned the wheel on the capsule door and lifted it 1 millimeter expecting to get a blast of heat from the left-over radiation… but nothing… no rise in temperature – in fact – a slightly cool breeze was a welcome to his burning skin, it was the opposite of what he expected. So, he opened it up a little more, and he could not believe what he saw. Steve immediately raced down the ladder and ran back to Becky. “Becky, you’ve gotta get up there! Now!”


	4. Chapter 4

Steve volunteered to climb up the shaft ladder and opened the hatch. He smiled and saw lush green vines and leaves; they must’ve been in a tropical forest somewhere. There were beautiful rays of sunshine that he thought he would never see again, and the sound of ocean waves in the distance, and a sweet smell in the air. “Becky, come up here. You’re not going to believe this.” He got down to the ground first and extended his hand to her, Becky took it as she came down – his touch sending a shiver rolling down her spine, but she tried not to let it show and started looking around at their surroundings.

For the first time, in a long time…a relaxed and genuine smile came to Becky’s face. Steve looked at her and admired how beautiful she was, her dimples showed when she smiled, he couldn’t help but curve his lips up a bit as well and sigh. Big and colourful butterflies were drifting through the air and one landed on Becky’s arm, she was a little nervous at first as she had never seen one so beautiful – it had bright blue on the wings and the wings boarder was black, then it flew away.

Steve noticed her cheeks were still flushed, “How are you feeling, Becky?” he said concerned.

She smiled at him, “I’m happy…I get to see the sunshine again,” Steve smiled back. “And I got to see it, because of you… You being brave enough to test the limits.” She took a breath in, “I’m getting a bit warm…” Steve wasn’t sure what to do, so he looked around where they were standing. “Water…” she said, “I need water.”

“Ok, we’ll go look for water.” He turned his head and looked back at Becky, “I think I hear the ocean coming from this direction.”

“Alright,” she took his hand again as walking on uneven ground was getting difficult for her. Her scent was getting even stronger, Steve could feel her hands getting hot in his and she was starting to sweat again.

“Don’t worry,” he said while leading the way and looking back at her, “The water shouldn’t be too far.”

After about 10 minutes walking towards the ocean wave sounds, they stumbled across a clearing with a small waterfall. It was beautiful and the water was clear. There were rocks all along the water’s edge and behind the falls as well.

“Can you swim?” asked Steve.

“Yes, Captain Rogers.”

“From now on, you can just call me Steve,” he said guiding her in the direction to the falls. They walked to the bottom of the falls, there were still some rocks to climb over if you wanted to get in the water. “Are you okay to get down in there?” he asked concerned with her being wobbly in her legs.

“Yes, I will just have to go in slowly, or else I might slip.” She took off her pants that had shorts on underneath, then removed her shoes and socks. She lowered herself over the edge on one of the boulders. First her toes, “Oh..”

“What is it?” Steve jumped.

“It’s just that it’s so cold.” She looked up at him.

“I don’t think it’s so cold, as you are so warm”.

Becky nodded and slowly lowered both of her feet under the water, she sighed a little and took her feet out of the water and started walking to the other end of the pool.

“Where are you going?” Steve asked.

“I don’t like this side of the pool, the boulder, I will have to fall in immediately. I need to go in slowly, it’s too much of a shock to my system if I go in that way. I need to lower myself slowly,” she took a liking to other rocks that acted as steps underneath the water. She rested her bottom on the top rock and put her feet back in the water, her breathing became slightly deeper…then she moved and let the water drift up to her knees. Steve was watching to make sure she got in safely, then he saw it, she opened her legs a bit and he saw slick shining in the sun on the inner parts of her thighs.

_“So, that’s the smell that I couldn’t place my finger on….”, _he involuntarily licked and bit his bottom lip. Still watching her from across the pool.

She was nervous and focusing on what her next step should be. She placed both of her hands by her sides on the rock, and slowly lowered herself in. Slowly, the cool water touched her vaginal area and a sharp moan escaped her mouth as her jaw dropped and her eyes closed at the sensation. Steve's mouth was dry and he wanted her, her cry she let out echoed in his head. He closed his eyes for moment to gain composure. Before he knew it, she was completely in the water, but didn’t come back up for air. Steve was alarmed and called out to her…nothing…no air bubbles…he couldn’t even see her. Then all of a sudden, she came out from under the water right where he was standing.

“Aren’t you coming in?” she asked wiping her eyes.

“Yeah,” he noticed that there was steam coming off of her body. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, in fact… this water… makes me feel like my old self again,” she said with a smile.

Relieved by this he smiled and jumped into the pool. He agreed with her, he must’ve been starting to experience a rut, but the cool water must have somehow reset them. Becky felt like she got her energy back and her fever went back down as well. Once they dried off, the decided to walk over to the ocean still to see what they could find.

It was beautiful… The tide was out and the sandbars were appearing and the sun was starting to set. Shades of oranges, blues, pinks, it was a scene that travel brouchers couldn't compete with. They looked at each other and smiled.

“Isn’t this one of the most beautiful places you have ever seen in your life?” she asked Steve.

He wanted to kiss her right there, but he decided against it when he looked down and saw her engagement ring on her hand. “Yes,” he said gazing out into the distance, his blonde hair shining in the sun. “It is...and... I’m glad I get to see it with you,” he said turning his bright blue eyes to hers. Becky smiled at him and they kept walking along the beach.

“This looks like the most fertile earth I have ever seen, it’s black – not brown. The leaves are the lushest shades of green I have ever seen…we must be near volcanoes…” she speculated.

Then out of nowhere coming out of the bushes was Nick Fury himself, he stood out with his black trench coat and eye patch, he came out clapping his hands in sarcastic applause “Hahaha! Well done!” Both of them looked at him intensely.

“You!” She pointed walking towards him fast, Steve following behind her on the beach. “You telling me, you would’ve left us down there forever had we not tried the hatch – even after telling us all you said in the recording?”

“Yes,” he said frankly.

She shook her head disapprovingly.

“Was this some sort of test?” Steve asked.

“Yes, and you both passed the first part,” Fury replied.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
Thank for you taking the time out of your day to read my work.  
Please comment and let me know what you liked or disliked. It's a pleasure to continue with this story and I hope you all are loving it and finding it very entertaining. Lots of love :)

“The first part?” Becky’s voice strained with frustration. “No! I’m done!” yelling at Fury. She turned to Steve, “No, I’m done with this. I don’t want to be a part of this any longer.” She said angrily and turned back to Fury. “Where are we anyway? Wasn’t there world war III?”

“Right now, we are in a remote part of Hawaii…and to answer your second question, world war III never happened, but it could. That’s why we made you, and need you to breed.”

“Liesss…” Becky hissed, “I was in New York city when I entered the underground compound. Before you people put me under with your drugs. How could we get to Hawaii?”

“Easy, we moved you both once you were both asleep,” he said aloofly.

“You have got to be kidding me?!” Becky said and turned away trying to think straight, head in her hands.

“How long have we been down there for?” Steve asked Fury.

“A year and a half.”

Both of them looked at him blankly.

“You better not be telling me the truth…” She said, “because if you are…I missed my own wedding by a year and 2 months…” she said slowly looking down at her engagement ring. “Oh my God!” she put both hands in her hair and closed her eyes, and then looked at Nick Fury with an expression that would make any man uncomfortable.

“I am sorry, yes you in fact did… Miss your wedding date. Today’s date is December 15, 2019.”

She looked over at Steve, not sure whether to blow a gasket or cry.

“You said we passed the first part. I take it there’s something else?” he looked at Fury disapprovingly.

“Yes,” Fury said crossing his arms, “The changes to your body’s are real.” Becky looked at Fury again intensely. “You are both the first genetically altered couple to become an “Alpha” and an “Omega”. The test is to see how long you both can keep your hands off each other. The pheromones are real, your heats/ruts are real…we just have never seen it in action.”

“Nor are you going to!” she responded quickly, “I am returning to my fiancée and apologize for being away so long. Leave me out of this!” She turned around and started walking away.

Steve looked back at Fury, “You should’ve never done this to us. This is way too personal, to change us like this.” Then Steve took his hand to the glands on his neck and scratched them, ripping the skin in the process, pain being so severe he fell onto his back on the beach sand. He screamed in pain, Becky immediately ran back to him, she looked at his neck and whimpered as if feeling the same pain he felt, sounds escaping her mouth resembling a sad dog. Steve panting from the pain, the gland was red and irritated – it was really a part of their bodies… not something you could rip off.

Fury looked at him grimly. “We still have to run some tests on you both, and clear things up in the military once we get back to New York City. Once that’s clear, you’re both are free to go. You will be required to check in once a year for physical and psychological testing to make sure you’re healthy, but I have a feeling that you two will want to stay together,” his eyes landed on Becky’s.

Becky had her hands on Steve’s shoulders supporting some of his weight so he wouldn’t fall all the way back on the sand. “What you did, was cruel to us…on so many levels…” She said looking up at him while still helping Steve, “You have made it nearly impossible for us to be our normal selves ever again, by injecting those chemicals, putting us into involuntary heats. Changed our private, reproductive parts so that they look and feel different – are we even human anymore?!”.

Fury was silent, but gave her a death stare.

“We have so much more to give… and YOU have decided our worth is not more than equivalent to animals, just for procreation initiatives for your government purposes. You have turned us into prostitutes for your endeavors. We deserved better!” then she spat at him.

“That’s enough out of you little Omega!” he said pointing his finger at her and stepping forward towards them, “Omega’s are in theory supposed to be obedient!”

“I’m getting away from you!” she turned around and started running in the opposite direction on the beach.

Fury took out his gun and BANG!!

He shot her… right in the back.

The sound echoed throughout the beach, and she collapsed face first into the sand as soon as it hit her.

Steve wide-eyed, jumped Fury and tackled him to the ground and wound his fist up to give him a beating within an inch of his life!

“Easy Soldier!” Fury said, gun touching Steve’s forehead. Steve stared at the barrel and slowed his movement, “I shot her with a tranquilizer gun.” Steve looked back down at Fury gritting his teeth at him, “We’re going for a ride.” Fury started to laugh, “Don’t worry, your little Omega, she’ll be fine.”

Steve was pissed and breathing heavily, but leaned back and got off of Fury and turned towards Becky who was laying on the sandbar, tranquilizer dart in her back. Then he heard a sound coming from a distance, he looked up at the sky, it was a small airplane.

“That’s our ride,” said Fury, “You get yourself and your girl onboard.”

Steve shot him a dirty look. He just wanted to bite his head off, but they needed to get off the island. He needed to see home, Brooklyn again.

Steve walked over to Becky laying on the sand and turned her over, he saw sand on her face and did his best to wipe it away.

“Hurry up, Steve!” Shouted Fury.

Steve took a breath in to contain his rage, took out the tranquilizer dart out of Becky’s back and carried her in his arms to the small aircraft. There was a padded bench with a seat belt at the back of the plane, so he put her there and strapped her in and walked over to the front where Fury was.

“We need to talk…” Steve said fuming underneath.

“Oh, we DEFINITELY need to talk, Captain America!” he said reloading his gun. “But that will be back in New York.”

Steve started to remember the old Brooklyn he used to know, wondered if in over 75 years how the city would be…”_Would it look the same, will I know any new generations of families I used to know in the neighborhood I grew up in? How much did it change?”_

“I wanna ask you something,” said Fury. He looked back at Becky sleeping on the bench at the back and back at Steve, “I was so surprised.”

“Excuse me?” Steve retorted.

“I could’ve sworn…you guys were going to fuck after you busted down that steel door and find her hiding under her bed,” he laughed.

"You saw that?" Steve said shocked.

"You two were being watched the whole time," he smiled back.

Steve felt shame crawling on his skin, _“She must’ve been really scared, because of me.”_

“I mean, you were….” He laughed, “Going at that door like you were… hungry, man! Haha!” Steve stood there stone-faced. Fury stopped laughing and they just looked at each other, “So, what made you stop?”

“I don’t like bullies…and when I checked myself, those things you gave me… I was starting to turn into one.”

Fury was actually impressed…” Alright soldier,” he replied, “That’s one of the many good reasons why you were chosen for this. Don’t you want to serve your country?”

Steve was silent and looked behind him, down the hall at Becky sleeping at the back. Then he glanced back at Fury and walked away to sit by her side watching over her while she slept.

“You should get some sleep soldier...” called Fury from the other side of the plane.

“I’ve slept enough,” he turned back to look at Becky’s face…make sure she wasn’t in pain.

They flew over the Pacific Ocean without a hitch…Outside the window of the plane the sun set and then it rose twice. Steve was in a daydream remembering his past, Peggy, the military, Bucky, the experiments, and now this…_ “Peggy, it’s over 75 years into the future…she must be long dead by now, but I have to try.”_ He thought to himself.

There was daylight outside now, then Steve heard Fury’s voice “Steve, take a look at today’s Brooklyn.” Steve looked outside the window for the first time at the Brooklyn Bridge. He had been on that bridge so many times when he was younger. The city had grown tremendously, he couldn’t believe all of the buildings he was seeing. His blue eyes, taking in the whole city of New York and the one square space of Central Park. “You’re home, soldier.”

“Yeah, I guess I am.” He said looking out the window.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading my work. Please leave me a kudos if you liked it. This my first story that is done in chapters instead of a piece. I hope you are all enjoying it. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know how you're liking the story so far. Lots of love :)

“Becky… Becky…” a soothing male voice said to her _“Wait… I know that voice,”_ she thought, and then she opened her eyes to see David, her fiancée, both of them were naked under a blanket. She was laying down in his bed at his apartment, his arm around her back. His beautiful green eyes connecting with hers, “Becky…”

“Becky,” David faded into black and so did the apartment, her body felt cold and wind circulated around the room… Who was calling her? “Becky!”

Her eyes shot open, forgetting where she was, she nearly jumped out of her skin. She looked over and saw Steve looking at her with concerned eyes and leaning in closer, hand on her back. She looked around at the airplane, took a deep breath and asked “We aren’t just going to jump out of this thing are we?”

“No, not today,” he said with his arm around her, Steve was more protective than usual. “Does your back hurt?”

“Yes, a little…” she put her hand there and then her memory came back to her. “Fury!” she shouted, standing to her feet. “You fucking shot me!”

“With a tranquilizer gun… because you were running away.” He said slowly. “I think I made the right call.”

“I used to look up to you!” She yelled.

“Never meet your heroes kid, they’ll only disappoint you.”

Becky was getting furious, but decided to keep her composure this time.

“Now, since you are both awake, and you’re done with your outburst Ms. Morrison. We can get down to business,” said Fury, “We’re going to be landing soon. You will follow me to our medical team where they will examine you both. Blood and urine tests will be taken along with any other tests fit for today. You will also be speaking to a mental health professional upon departure. If all checks out, then you are free to go. Ms. Morrison, your $30,000 will be deposited in your bank account today.” Steve lifted an eyebrow and looked over at her, “You both will be required to check in once a year for an annual physical and mental health checkup. Any questions?”

Both were quiet.

“No? Ok, excellent!” Fury responded.

* * *

The medical and mental health examinations were completed, now they were sitting beside each other waiting for the personnel to give them their release papers. One of the staff members came into the room.

“Alright, Ms. Becky Morrison? Captain Steve Rogers?”

They stood up and walked over to him. “You both are required to visit us again by next December to do an annual checkup. Ms. Morrison here is the updated address and of your fiancée David Martinez,” Steve watched with a long face as he passed the paper over to her, felt like it happened almost in slow motion and he started to feel possessive, but he kept it to himself.

“Thank you,” she said reviewing the page.

“Captain Rogers, we couldn’t find any next of kin.” Becky looked up at the staff from her page they gave her. “Did you have any brothers or sisters? Any other relatives, friends?”

Steve was silent for a moment, “No”, he simply said.

Becky's heart nearly broke, looking up at him, but she said nothing.

“Wait, there is someone I have been wondering about. If I give you a name, can you look them up in your records?”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Excellent!” he replied and looked over at Becky and gave her a reassuring smile.

“Alright, Captain. Just write down the first and last names of the people you want us to look up and we’ll be in touch. Here’s a cell phone for us to get in contact with you.” As he handed him a new phone.

“Thank you” he replied.

“I’m going to hit the lady’s room, let me know if I miss anything.” She said to Steve as she picked up her bag and walked away.

* * *

Becky opened her bag and saw the same pair of old clothes she brought with her before she started her assignment and put them on, thankfully they still fit. Just blue jeans and white shirt, it was December in New York. She knew she needed a coat. _“I hope there’s a store downstairs at the bottom of the building”_ She thought to herself.

She washed her hair in the sink and dried it as best she could with the hand dryer, thank goodness her bag still has toiletries in them. She brushed her teeth, and was about to put on deodorant and noticed her natural body odor smelled of what seemed like a mix of flowers, so she decided last minute against using deodorant for the first time in her life. _Hey, maybe there are some benefits to this experiment_, she said to herself trying to stay on the bright side. “Remember,” she said to herself in the mirror, “You once thought you would never see the sun again…”

Then she looked in the mirror and brushed her hair, and putting it into a ponytail. With the hair up she remembered the glands on her neck that Fury mentioned in the recording. How on earth was she going to explain all of these changes to David? She felt nervous, so she decided to leave her hair down for the time being and tell David about it later. It would be an adjustment, but David would understand.

She stepped back into the room and Steve was holding his paper still waiting for the staff to come back to take it off his hands. She looked down at his page to see what he wrote down and noticed, “Peggy Carter” was the only name on the page.

“Alright, you both are free to go now. Here are the rest of your belongings in this bag, Captain.” As he took the page away and gave him a white bag. He immediately looked through it and took out his compass and opened it. He looked at it for a moment and a look of relief fell onto his face, and he put it back into the bag.

Both of them started walking down the hall together, probably for the last time she thought. She had to ask him, “So, who’s Peggy Carter?”

Steve took a deep breath in and looked at her and said, “The love of my life… After the plane I was in went down, I was supposed to meet her for a dance.”

Becky’s expression softened, and she nodded as they both got into an elevator. They stayed there in silence until they got to the ground floor.

“It’s cold outside Steve, I’m going to buy a jacket here. Wanna come with me?” She asked.

He agreed and they walked into a store together and both got black coats. It was busy with anxious Christmas shoppers, beautiful red and green, silver and gold tinsel and decorations covered the walls, and a very tall Christmas Tree at the entrance. Everything was so pretty, the lights inside brightened up their mood.

As they were lining up Steve was about to take out his wallet to pay for his coat, when Becky noticed and quickly took hers out first in front of the cashier. Steve was disgruntled, being more traditional. She looked back at him, “Please Steve, let me get this one. Let me say thank you for saving my life.” Steve swallowed his pride and reluctantly put his wallet back in his pocket. Becky smiled back at him.

Together, they walked into the main lobby and walked towards the doors to exit the building when a voice called from behind them.

“Captain, Steve Rogers!!”

Both of them turned around to see a dark-haired middle-aged man, dressed in fancy clothes. Steve coxed his eyebrow and looked at his face again, “Yes, you look familiar…”

The dark-haired man walked over to Steve and stretched out his hand for a firm handshake. “Yes, Tony Stark. Pleasure to meet you.”

“Tony Stark…” Steve said slowly, “You look like…I think I knew your father.”

“My father?! Well I wouldn’t be surprised you’re probably as old as the Statue of Liberty herself,” he joked. “Who’s ahh…Who’s this lovely lady right here?” he said moving his eyes towards Becky’s. Steve started to get that possessive feeling again and moved a little closer to Becky’s side.

“Hello, Mr. Stark!” She said shaking his hand, “Ahh, everyone knows you. I’m Becky, Becky Morrison, Steve’s friend,” she said with a smile and they both looked over at each other. “Pleasure to meet you sir, though I am told I should never meet my heroes and that I’ll be very disappointed in them…” she knew she was rambling. Tony looked at her funny, “Ahh, what I mean to say is, that it’s been a crazy last few days for both Steve and I…just to put it lightly.”

“Is that so, huh? What’s that on your neck?” he abruptly pointed out.

Becky gasped, “Oh this…” she looked over at Steve, “It’s just a birth mark, I was born with it. I hope it’s not too noticeable.” She tried to laugh it off.

“No! He’s got two of them on his neck too? I’ve never seen that in past pictures of you before.” He said pointing his finger at Steve.

“We really have to get going Mr. Stark. I’m so sorry to cut this conversation short.” She said trying to pull Steve away with her hands in his.

“Well, Captain Rogers. Let me give you my number because we need to talk some time later today. Get in touch with me or Pepper. We have some things I need to discuss with you.” Then he turned to her, “Nice to meet you little missy.” Then he turned away and walked further into the building.

Steve turned to Becky, “Oh my God, Steve!” her breathing got quicker, “People notice we look different…I’m starting to freak out!” She said with her hand grabbing the side of her head. “What are we gonna do?” she said.

“First things, first… Let’s get outside.” Steve led her out of the building to get some fresh air.

Reality was starting to hit them. This was going to be their real life, probably for the rest of their lives, unless they find an antidote. They stood in front of the steps leading into the building, people were walking around on a sunny afternoon, a chill in the wind. She enjoyed it on her face as she was starting to feel her skin get hot again.

Becky looked at him and realized soon they will have to depart from here. She connected his eyes and said, “Look, Steve…I…Let me give you my phone number, in case you need to talk. I don’t want you to feel alone in this city. Here.” She wrote it down on a piece of paper and gave it to him. “It’s the least I could do, you helped me so much.” Steve looked at her face and noticed her cheeks turning red again. “You got me out of that tin can in the ground that they would’ve happily let us rot in. You helped me get my life back. No one has been through an experience quite like this,” she brought up both of her wrists to expose her scent glands. The scent was beautiful, a gust of wind passed by and waft it in his direction flooding his senses. She was so beautiful to him every time he would smell her. “I want you to be well, so please take care of yourself. This isn’t goodbye, it’s just see you later ok. We’ll talk soon.” She nodded, waiting for his response.

“Yes, of course. I could never forget you. Nor would I want to.” He said, then he opened his arms and put them around her bringing her close. Her head nestled on his shoulder; her nose next to his scent glands. It felt so good to be held. They stayed like that for a long time, neither wanted to let go. “Just curious, what do I smell like to you?” he asked Becky.

“You smell like cinnamon…” she breathed him in again and felt like she was falling, “Pine… like a walk in the woods in the fall,” she said with a smile on her face. Then she released the hug and they looked at each other.

“You smell like a mixture of roses and lavender, like walking through a field of flowers in the summer time.” He took her hand and kissed it, getting another gust of her pheromones from her wrist, and brought it back down.

“Ahh,” she smiled, “You should try to write poetry sometime.” She laughed. There was a pause, “Thank you for everything you’ve done, Steve. Please keep my number handy.” She said as she turned to walk away. He nodded and then watched her walk away.

Halfway down the steps she was stopped by a middle-aged man, she smiled at him. Steve got suspicious and tried to listen in from far away.

“Mr. Hanson,” Becky knew Mr. Hanson for many years, he was an old neighbor and she was childhood friends with his only daughter for 10 years until they moved away. He used to deliver pizzas, but then decided to become a cop, then as teenagers, he got promoted and moved into working for the fraud squad.

“Becky,” he said with a smile on his face, “It’s so nice to see you, how are your parents doing?”

“They are doing great, Mr. Hanson, how is my friend Agnes?”

“Oh, she’s great! She’s married and has two kids now, 2 daughters actually. We love spoiling them.” Then Mr. Hanson looked down are her hands and said, “Oh, I see you’re engaged!! How wonderful! What a very nice ring, can I get a closer look?” he took her left hand.

“Sure,” she replied with a smile.

“Wow! That's a stunning ring, meant for a lovely lady like yourself. Please tell me he’s a good guy!” he said teasing.

“Yes, Mr. Hanson. I couldn’t date a bad guy,” she laughed.

“Hey, what happened to your wrist there? What is that?” he said leaning in, still holding her hand.

“Oh, it’s just a birth mark, I was born with it,” she started to laugh.

“No…” he said, “I’ve known you for many years, you used to come over and play with Agnes at our house all the time and I never saw anything like this on your wrist before… look it’s even on your other one,” he pointed out. Then he looked at her face, she was getting nervous now. “Becky, what’s on both sides of your neck?”

Becky gulped, and said, “I… wish I could… but I can’t tell you that.”

Mr. Hanson looked at the building they were both in front of, “Becky, who were you meeting here inside this building.”

“Nick Fury,” she responded right away.

“Nick Fury… Oh, me and Fury go back a long time!” he said smoothing the tension. “Well, it was so nice running into you. I’ll let Agnes know you say "Hi!”

“That sounds great Mr. Hanson,” a big genuine smile came across her face, “It’s so nice to see a familiar face again. I have been gone a while. Take care.” She gave him a big hug and left to walk over to find David’s apartment.

Steve watched Becky, and thought how nice it would be to be able to run into someone who knew who he was, and talk about the old times. Then his phone started ringing, it was Nick Fury and he wanted Steve to come back upstairs because they found a file on Peggy Carter.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please leave Kudos if you like my work. I hope you all enjoy, lots of love :)

Fury held the file labeled “Peggy Carter” in his hand and looked at Steve from across the table.

“Are you sure you want to look at this, Steve?”

“Positive,” he said.

“She passed away last year, Captain. I am sorry. She lived a long and full life.” Fury said as he passed over Peggy’s military file over to Steve.

He slowly opened Peggy’s file, the first thing he saw was her picture looking as she did when they first met, in uniform, a serious expression on her face, her deep chocolate brown eyes staring straight into the camera lens. “I wish I could’ve been there for her…” he said in a low voice fighting off tears.

Steve shifted through the thick file, reading each line silently. He took a deep breath in, and paused then letting out a soul crushing sigh. “I guess I was hoping by chance, that she was still alive.” He thumbed through some more pages. “Just wanted to let her know, I hadn’t forgotten her.”

“She had a good life, Captain…” Fury said.

“I know, it seems like it…” he started to sniffle. “I’m glad she moved on…” He said. Steve felt a pain in his chest, he put the file back down on the table and got up from the chair and looked out the window as the first snowfall started.

“I’ll give you a few minutes, I have to step out.” Fury left the room.

Steve nodded, still looking out the window at the people walking below going about their lives, looking at the many cars that were on the road. His heart still hurt, and he let the tears flow for a few minutes. Wiping them as soon as he heard the doorknob rattle.

It was Fury, “Hi, Captain…Well, not to switch gears too fast, I know you want to process everything… but you may want to know how this plays out… Sit,” he said gesturing to the chair.

Steve looking at him perplexed, sitting down in the chair once more.

Fury turned on the TV in the room and Steve saw a hallway with the camera focused on apartment number 14 in the middle, there was no sound, and he saw Becky coming up the stairs… and then hesitating to knock on the door.

Steve sat up straight in his chair and watched…

* * *

Becky held her breath running up the stairs. This was David’s new address, she prayed he would be home this afternoon. Once she got up the stairs, she looked for apartment number 14, she saw the brass numbers hanging on the door. She was about to knock when she lost her nerve.

So many second thoughts ran through her head, _“What if he doesn’t believe me? What if he doesn’t accept the biological changes I went through?”_ She sighed and pulled herself together and refocused. Then she knocked on the door… no answer… _“Oh no, don’t tell me he’s not at home right now,”_ she thought to herself, so she knocked one more time. Then, David opened the door – he saw her and she smiled at him. His jaw dropped.

“David, I’m home!” she said, tears starting to fill her eyes.

David just stared at her, shocked.

“I’m so sorry baby for missing our wedding date,” she said shaking her head, “The military kept me a lot longer than they said they would, and I had no way of contacting you or anyone outside,” she said. “I hope you can forgive me.”

David noticed the blister-like glands on the side of her neck, “What have they done to you?”

Becky gulped and took a breath in, “They changed by body, my love. They knocked me out and changed me. We got out and, they let me go.” She started to smile with relief.

“They… Simply… Let you go?” he said skeptically.

“Yeah, we started in an underground compound in New York, but must have moved us while we were asleep, because when we opened the hatch, we were in Hawaii,” looking in his green eyes, “They gave us a ride back to New York and told me where you moved to…” she paused, waiting for a happy expression from him, but nothing came. “I…I…” she stammered “I checked my bank account – they transferred the $30,000. So… we can start our life now,” she smiled sheepishly.

He looked at her with tears starting to form in his eyes.

“David, what’s wrong?”

There was sadness in his eyes, but no words came out from his mouth.

“Can I come in?” she asked.

“No,” he answered immediately. “You should go…” he said stepping back from the entrance, his hand on the door ready to close it.

“David…” another female voice called, “Who’s at the doorway?” The voice got closer.

“No one honey, just someone trying to sell something…” Becky's eyes widened. Then David leaned in and whispered, “I’m sorry, I love you,” and was about the close the door when Becky’s heart sank. Then the woman peered out and stood beside him. She was beautiful, fit, mocha skin, beautiful green eyes like the ones you could spot from across a room. Then she noticed she had a small baby bump… She looked back at David with a frown and back at the woman.

“I was just leaving…” she said turning around and slowly, walking down the hallway… The carpet feeling soft under her shoes, time started to move very slowly. It was difficult for her to process what just happened, she heard the door close behind her, and she turned around and saw the brass number 14 and started to cry.

Going down the steps felt alien, like she forgot how to walk properly, she had to grab the railing and use it for support going all the way down the stairs, it felt like everything was in slow motion. Finally, she made it out to the street and leaned up against the brick wall turning her face to the sky, sunlight hit her skin. She closed her eyes in anguish as hot tears ran down her face. There was the hustle and bustle of NYC in front of her – but she couldn’t hear anything, just her pulse inside her head and her gasping and breathing as she sobbed.

The snow was starting to fall onto her eyelashes. The light weight of them melting into her tears was the only sensation that grounded her back to reality. All she could feel other than that, was the pain in her heart. People passed by her, no one stopped and glanced and she was fine with that as she cried. When she looked up, she noticed across the street was a small coffee shop with a lime green awning hanging over the window. She went across the street and went inside; it didn’t look too busy so she went to the table next to the window and looked outside at the passers by. She later ordered a drink and sat by herself…and she emotionally shut down and looked out the window with a blank stare. Her heart was absolutely broken.

* * *

Steve was floored, “Why did you have me see this?” he said to Fury, gritting through his teeth.

“Your Omega… She needs you. She’s hurting, and she’s about to experience her first heat in an open world, where anything can happen to her. At least while you guys were down in Hawaii you were in a safe and controlled environment.”

“Ha, we certainly would’ve never guessed we were in Hawaii… We thought the world was decimated. World war III. You treated us like dogs in cages.”

Fury nodded, “Point taken… and now you guys are free.”

“Why had you been monitoring the outside of her fiancée’s apartment?” asked Steve.

“To make sure he didn’t compromise our operation.” He said, “Looks like he’s moved on with life.” As he looked back at the screen.

“Becky…” he said softly.

“Yeah, life is hard isn’t it?” Fury said getting up from the table, “Well, soldier… This is how I see it. Looks like she’s single now.”

Steve looked at him in disgust, “Give her a minute… Do you know what it’s like to lose the love of your life?” frowning at him.

“Well, looks like she could use a friend. From what I’ve read in your file, you can run pretty fast. She’s about 32 blocks away, It’s up to you.”

Steve got up from the chair and looked out the window at the city below.

“I have to go to a meeting. You’re free to go soldier.” Once again, Fury stepped out of the room.

Steve searched his pocket and opened up his compass to see Peggy’s picture. Then Steve turned around and gazed at the screen, Becky was at a café near David’s apartment staring out the window, tears streaming down her face. Steve felt a pain in his chest seeing her like this.

* * *

Becky looked at the newly fallen snow that was starting to accumulate on the ground when she heard the chime of the doorbell as a couple entered the café and sat at the table next to her. They were happy and smiling and talking about how crazy their workday was and how happy they were to see each other at the end of the day. Then, the guy leaned over and gave his girl a kiss on the cheek. Becky’s heart started to hurt, realizing that she will never ever have David kiss her again. Then she overheard them planning their Christmas shopping and they were making a list to agree on what to get family and friends when they visit them next. 

She tried not to listen to the conversation, but the way they looked, the vibe they gave off – she just couldn’t. They were talking about what would be good names for their future kids, and got into a funny argument about it. They looked so happy together, and she overheard them talk about budgeting for the holidays. Everyone had been hurting from the economic fallout from a few years ago, so this wasn’t anything new. She looked at her engagement ring and then back at the couple. Then she took a breath and went with what her heart desired.

“Excuse me,” she said as she approached the couple. “Hi, there… I was just sitting here and I was overhearing your conversation about budgeting and I was just wondering… you guys seem so happy… How long have you been dating for?

“We’ve been dating for 5 years,” The guy said to her.

“5 years! Wow! That’s amazing!” she said smiling, “Good for you guys.”

“Yeah, we always joke about when we’re going to pop the question,” the girl responded, playfully nudging her boyfriend’s arm.

“Oh ok, not that it’s any of my business, but are you guys seriously down the road wanting to get married to each other?”

Both of them nodded at the same time, Becky smiled.

“Very well then…” She said looking at her ring. “Well, I don’t want any money for it.” She looked back at them as she started to take her ring off her finger. Both them went wide-eyed. “You can have my ring. My fiancée, he died… and I need to move on,” she paused, “I hope this relieves the financial burden; I know everyone is going through hard times lately. It would be great to know that someone put this to good use,” she gave it to the woman and she stared at it, mouth agape and then back at Becky.

“Thank you! So much!” said the guy.

“Propose whenever, but at least you have a nice-looking ring in your back pocket…you know… for when the time is right for you guys… no pressure. I wish you the best of luck.” She said giving the biggest smile. The couple were flabbergasted, the woman gave her a hug and they got up and left the café. They waved goodbye to each other, and once they left the café Becky’s smile faded and she went to sit down back in her seat and stare out the window again. She watched them walk off onto the street until they disappeared in the New York city crowds, then she started to daydream.

“I saw that,” said a familiar voice from behind her. It was Steve walking over from behind and taking a seat in front of her. He had a baseball cap on and dressed in new clothes.

“What part did you see?”

He paused and looked into her hazel eyes, “… All of it.” She took a breath in as if to speak, but he said “No, I mean… all of it.” Her face frowned. “Fury had a camera outside your Fiancée’s door, they had him under surveillance since you went under.”

She gasped, and slowly leaned forward over the table in front of him, “Fury could’ve let me know what to expect before going there… You know… Spare me the heartache and the embarrassment.”

“I said the same thing… He didn’t think you’d believe him.”

She looked out the window watching the people passing by, and they stayed sitting in silence for a while. She looked up at David’s apartment building and she sighed.

Steve leaned in closer to her from across the table and said in a soft voice, “That was a really nice thing that you did there… for the couple.”

Becky looked down and scoffed… Then she smiled turning to the window sadness in her voice, “What else am I suppose to do?” then her eyes started to shine with tears starting to form.

“Let me get you a drink or something.” He said getting up from the chair.

Becky scratched her head, “Ok, get me a large matcha green tea latte…” she said turning her face back to him.

Steve looked confused, “Never heard of that before, but ok,” he turned around and went to line up.

She started daydreaming again. “_How could it be, that David would move on so fast? Did I ever even matter to him? I guess I loved him more than he loved me… I guess I asked him to wait for a long time,” _her thoughts were interrupted by an abrupt voice across the café… It was Steve’s voice, to her horror!

“7 DOLLARS for a DRINK!”

“Oh shit! He’s 100 years old – he thinks everything is 5 cents!” Becky ran over to the counter trying not to cause a commotion.

“Would that be visa or debit?” said the barista across the counter.

“What?” Steve was so confused.

“Cash would be fine,” Becky said embarrassed.

“Oh yeah, cash,” the barista said remembering that was an option.

Becky received her drink and motioned Steve to come back with her to the table. Then she overheard the barista say to her co-worker, “Who uses cash anymore?” in a high-pitched voice.

Becky rolled her eyes and she took her seat again with Steve.

“How much do things cost?” he asked.

She just looked at him and paused, “You’ve got some catching up to do… Right now… I just need some to time to think,” she replied.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my work! I am proud of this one.
> 
> I found I had been delaying writing this particular chapter because it was emotionally difficult to write as I am using elements of my own real life experiences of trauma, but I think it makes it more raw and real. I do get attached to these characters and I hope you are as well for enjoyment reasons :)
> 
> Please feel free to leave a comment or kudos, that's also very much appreciated! For my first story involving chapters and not one shots, this is pretty cool to have things happening!

“So, wait…” said Steve, “How much does it cost to rent a 1-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn again?”

Becky sighed… “Yeah, too much I’m afraid. Everything is expensive,” she looked into his eyes, “That $30,000 was going to help us start our life together…” she paused adjusting herself in her chair, remembering the last encounter she had with David and looked back out the window. “We were saving for years and we couldn’t even come close,” she said pulling a long strand of her dark brown hair behind her ear, “So I thought the only way to get ahead in life was to do the things that other people weren’t wanting or willing to do… so I signed up for the military medical trial.” She looked into his blue eyes and she frowned, “But what they didn’t tell me was that I would end up like this,” she lifted her wrists to show her glands, “Nor did they tell me about you… or Eugenics.” She leaned back in her chair and sighed and looked out the window once more.

“What are you going to do now?” Asked Steve.

“I don’t know, I was thinking about calling my parents actually…” All of a sudden, there was the sound of broken glass and car alarms going off, both of them diverted their attention across the street.

“There’s smoke!” Becky stated, “There’s smoke coming from David’s building! It’s from the same side as his apartment” Immediately, Becky shot up from her seat and ran, heart pounding in her chest, cold air hitting the back of her throat. She ran across the street without looking both ways and almost got hit by a taxi. Steve ran and pushed her out of the way.

She fell onto the sidewalk and she turned back to him, but thankfully he was alright – he was Captain America and all. She got up and raced over to the building and ran up the stairs to apartment #14. She couldn’t open the door; Steve came up from behind her and asked her to move aside and he kicked the door in.

Immediately smoke filled their senses.

“David!” She shouted as the cloud of grey smoke filled her view and entered the hallway where they were standing.

Both lifted the top of their shirt to cover their face, careful to not inhale the smoke.

Becky’s eyes started to water from the irritants in the air,“David!” She tried to see through, “Davy!” She called out to him, but there was no answer. She entered the apartment, the heat increased dramatically. “David!” she called out again.

She looked down on the floor and found she was stepping in a pool of blood. Alarmed by the sight even more, she called out to him in great distress “Davy! Davy!” A few more steps in and she found her beloved David’s body sprawled out on the living room floor. His throat was slit, and blood was everywhere as there were signs of a struggle.

Becky’s knees buckled where she saw him face to face, her body started to shake and she started to sob in regret and crawled slowly towards him to cup his face in her hands. The image would stick in her mind forever, his lifeless and once beautiful green eyes that would sparkle whenever he would see her were open and so was his mouth, head turned to the right, his wound slashed from jugular to jugular. The vision of him made her lose all her strength and composure.

She started to sob uncontrollably, each second getting worse as her brain was comprehending the massacre in front of her. She crawled over behind him and put her arms under his and pulled him close where his head was resting on her chest and shoulders in her lap, “Oh! My Davy! No… No!” she lowered her head until her forehead touched his brown hair. “David… No… I’m sorry… No...” she said voice cracking, tears falling.

The heat in the room from the fire was intensifying. Steve looked around the room and found the fire was coming from the bedroom, and then he saw it! He quickly turned to her and said, “Becky! You need to come and see this!”

Barely able to stand, she hobbled over to the bedroom and she saw it, it was left to burn in the fire, but it was a fake pregnancy belly suit. She rubbed her eyes “Are you…” she couldn’t believe it “Seeing what I am seeing?” she gulped and looked Steve straight in the eyes.

He didn’t answer, he just frowned.

“She did this!” She hissed, “She’s the one who did this!” turning her sorrow into rage. The bed was burning in the room, but her eyes caught something else. There was a photo from a few years ago taken with David and Becky when they were on vacation up north. Her eyes grew wide and she jumped into the fire to save it. Steve tried to grab her, but he wasn’t fast enough. Her adrenaline made her feel no pain. She grabbed a hold of the frame and jumped out of the room. There was another picture of them from their last year of college on the living room table, she grabbed that as well.

She started coughing and looked back down at David, she tried to pick him up and bring him out of the room, just by chance that they could save his life. “Come on Davy! I gotta…save you… My love!” she said whimpering in between.

All of a sudden, police and emergency personnel entered the apartment, pointing guns at them.

“Hands up! Put your hands in the air!” 

Becky collapsed onto her knees, smoke choking her, still holding onto David and the picture frames. Steve put his hands up, he knew they meant business, and thought maybe he could explain their way out of this.

“No, no please…” she pointed down at David, “HELP HIM!” she cried, “SAVE HIM!”

“Put the body down Miss! Hands up in the air or I’ll shoot!” yelled a cop.

Steve frowned looking straight-on at the cop, his protective instincts kicking in, breathing getting heavy, getting ready to attack.

Becky started shaking, the sorrow and rage was too much for her nerves to take. Holding the top half of David’s body in her arms, looking around at all the blood around her. “_All of it is Davy’s blood”_, she felt so helpless and let out what Steve could only comprehend as a heart cry, a sound of a deep howl, like a wolf calling to the moon, her face tilting up as far as her neck would allow her to go, it was loud and strong and heart breaking, but definitely not fully human.

Steve gazed at her from over his shoulder, his hands still up in the air, fire starting to creep into the room they were in. The sound of her howl awoken something strong in him that he never thought was there, some aching forgotten piece stirring deep within him. Some instinctive connection, a voice saying, “Omega is in distress. They have upset Omega. Omega needs Alpha to comfort her.” He unconsciously turned his back to the police and brought his hands down, and almost leapt to her side, but then he felt shocks going through his body and heard Becky scream. He fell to the floor and everything went black for a few seconds.

It was clear Becky was unarmed, as the police officers saw the two photo frames, one in each hand, arms still over David. David’s body was cold, tears still falling from her face. Fire fighters rushed in and took David out of her arms. She let out another heart howl, as the fire fighters raced behind her to the bedroom, and released the water in the hose. It was all happening in slow motion to Becky, her eyes were full of tears to the point where she couldn’t see clearly. She heard yelling, not sure if it was Steve’s voice or not – it turned into a blur in her mind. She felt someone behind her putting her hands behind her back and handcuffing her. Fear entered Becky’s mind.

“Steve! Steve! Help!” she called out and looked around, he was running towards her, then he stilled in one place mid-run and started shaking – three tasers fired onto him and he fell to the blood-stained floor. Four cops took him outside. “No! Don’t hurt him!” she called out… “ALPHA!!” she screamed.

Steve opened his eyes and locked with hers for a split second as he was taken past the entrance of the apartment to the stairs and taken out the door.

“What are you, really?” one of the cops asked Becky.

She looked at him, but didn’t say anything.

“Well, you have the right to remain silent…”

* * *

Steve was in the back of a police car, still shaken from the multiple tasers they latched onto him a few moments ago. He was hand cuffed and read his rights.

“Don’t hurt her,” was all he said to the officer.

“You’re Captain America!” one cop realized. “We have to take you and your friend in Sir,” he looked remorseful, “We saw you at the scene of a fire with a dead body inside and you’re both covered in blood. Just doing my job Sir.”

Steve nodded, but said nothing more. He stared through the back of the cop car window at the entrance of the building, waiting for them to come out with Becky. It must have been 10 minutes or so, but still no sign of her or the other police officers coming out. Something must be wrong. Then the car he was in started to leave to head over to the police station. Steve started to worry, and the voice inside came back again saying, “They are alone with your Omega. You’re not there to help your Omega”.

“Let me out!” he said to the police officer driving the car. “She’s in distress, she just lost the love of her life…”

“No can do, Cap. We have to take you to the police station. I will radio them and let you know when she’s coming, ok,” Just then they called him on the radio and said they were following him. “See Cap, they’re gonna be right behind us soon. I’m sorry, just following protocol.”

* * *

Becky looked around the room, a large one-way glass mirror staring back at her. She had not said a word since being at David’s apartment. She was still shaking and covered in David’s blood. She felt numb, like maybe this was all a really bad dream and she will wake up from it soon and everything will be alright.

Her hands were cuffed to the table, and they had a small chain so she could move around a little bit, but not much. She knew there were people behind the glass, probably looking at her, but she didn’t care. No word on David’s condition, no one told her anything, but she knew (even if she didn’t want to acknowledge it herself) that David had lost too much blood, he wasn’t breathing, his body was so cold and limp, he must’ve been gone.

Just when she thought she could not be anymore shattered upon being dismissed by him before entering the coffee shop, she remembered giving away the last possession he ever gave her, the engagement ring. If her heart could bleed from the inside out, it was doing it now.

She took a stifled breath in and her body started shaking again. Then her mind started to play images of David over and over again… When he first answered the door and the shock on his face, to when his eyes filled up with tears when he told her to leave, when he leaned in and said “I’m sorry, I love you”, then him laying in a pool of blood with his throat slit. Involuntarily, she made both her hands curl up in fists and she banged on the table in front of her with one loud thud, as the numbness faded away into crippling, guilt saturating anguish that no drug could get rid of. The tears started flowing again and the shaking continued.

Then one of the police officers came into the room and closed the door. He walked over to the other side of the room sat on the other side of the table, and looked at her. She looked up to read his facial expression, he was stone faced.

Then he spoke, “What I saw in there... at the apartment,” she held eye contact with him, “You… You’re not fully human, are you?” Then he leaned in to ask something else.

“Lawyer,” she said coldly, cutting him off. “And my photos!” she said with a fire in her eyes.

There was a buzz and the door opened behind her.

“Don’t say anything Becky!” said this heavy-set man with dark eyes and dark hair. He turned to the cop, “That’s enough,” and then turned his eyes over to Becky. “Hello Ms. Morrison, my name is John Finelli, I’m your lawyer courtesy of Mr. Tony Stark.”

The officer sighed and got up out of his chair, you could sense his frustration.

“Take those cuffs off of my client. She is actually a victim in this circumstance.” He turned back to Becky, “Come with me Ms. Morrison, we have your ride waiting for you outside the building.”

Becky was so confused, but relieved to no longer needing to stay at the police station. The cuffs came off and she rubbed the spots on her wrists as they pushed and rubbed on her glands. The cop eyed them and then looked her in the eyes, she looked back but turned around to leave with Mr. Finelli.

“Come with me, Becky,” she looked at him and wondered…_wait…I didn’t call for a lawyer_.

They walked down the hall together, various officers in uniform passing by with criminals in the hallway, one in custody did a kissing gesture to her as she walked by, the sound was gross. They turned a corner and headed out the front doors, the wind hit her face and it was refreshing as she started to feel heat building up in her cheeks. She closed her eyes to fully inhale and embrace the much better environmental surroundings around her, much better than being chained inside an interrogation room.

Once she opened them, to her surprise and joy, she saw Steve staring right at her from the sidewalk just a few feet away, and a black limousine behind him. He was talking to another middle-aged man with dark hair. She gazed at Steve, her lips parted and her face relaxed and she exhaled fully in relief as her long brown hair flew in the wind. His bright blue eyes locking to her hazel’s, he slowly turned his shoulders towards her. His body was massive. She would almost be fine now, except she looked down at his clothes, they still had blood on them. She looked down at her clothes, they still had blood on them too. David’s blood. She frowned, reality coming back to her.

Steve slowly walked up the front steps to meet her with Mr. Finelli, not looking away while he slowly made his way up the steps. He slowly took her hand in his, she looked at him, “I told them I wasn’t leaving here without you,” Steve said sincerely.

Becky couldn’t say anything, her mind was trying to take everything in. She sighed and her body started to shake again. Immediately, Steve put an arm around her and brought her close to him to alleviate her shaking. He glanced up at the lawyer gesturing to start moving into the limo with them. Once they got inside, they met Happy who was driving the limo.

Steve turned to Becky, her face gone pale, “Hey…are you, ok?” his eyes concerned.

She looked over at him, and blinked but couldn’t verbally respond, even though she was sitting now her body was still trembling. He put his arm around her again, and leaned in “We’re going to Stark Tower. I called Tony; he was my one phone call. He got us his lawyer and got us out of there. He wants to meet with us, so we’re going there now.”

She gave a slight nod, and turned to look at the limo driver. He seemed to be saying something, but it wasn’t registering in her head. She was so confused, and decided to move her head down between her knees. She wanted to curl up into a ball and die, but for some reason her body kept on breathing, she could hear and feel her pulse inside her head as she took in air. Steve took his hand and started rubbing up and down and side to side in the middle of her back to sooth her, and did so until they got to Stark Tower.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my work. I do hope that you are enjoying the read so far. It warms my heart to know that people like the work I am doing.

Becky followed Steve into Stark Tower, the lawyer came with them and directed them to the closest elevator to avoid getting attention as they still were wearing blood-soaked clothing. Steve put his arm around Becky in the elevator and repeated, “Are you ok?”. She looked over and she still couldn’t bring herself to speak. She wasn’t having a bad attitude; it was as if forgetting how to use words or forgetting how to speak. “You’re cold, Becky,” he looked at her face and saw she was also sweating.

“Hey,” Steve turned the Mr. Finelli. “Can you send some medical staff in to check her over?” Steve turned back to Becky, “It’s going to be ok…”

Still looking at him Becky slightly nodded and then turned her head to look straight at the buttons on the panel of the elevator. She started seeing David in flashbacks, the blood on the floor, the fire. The only thing she did was slowly place her hand on Steve’s arm for balance, there was just a blank stare on her face as her eyes lowered to the ground.

They got to the designated floor and they stepped off, a tall, thin, blonde woman was there to receive them. She had with her a bag of clothes for each of them.

“Hello, my name is Pepper,” she extended her hand to shake, “I’m Tony Stark’s assistant. He told me to greet you and said you would be needing new clothes.”

They both shook her hand, she smiled turned around and started walking down the hallway, “Follow me, I will guide you to your rooms to get cleaned up and you will meet with Tony in an hour. I will come back to collect you two and take you to meet him.”

“Pepper, she needs medical attention. She’s in shock…” Steve had both hands on Becky’s small shoulders.

She looked back at her and nodded, “They will come and tend to her in her room.”

The hall was bright, lights everywhere and lovely artwork on the wall. Becky couldn’t make sense of it though; she knew they were going to their rooms and she would have to part from Steve’s touch and be in a quiet space alone with her thoughts. They were still walking together with his arm around her, and she instinctively turned and leaned her forehead into his shoulder. Tenderness is what she needs; Steve knew this. She would probably feel different after what happened today. “Omega needs Alpha,” the voice in him said. Steve took a couple of deep breaths, he could detect her scent, but mainly it was David’s blood.

Pepper stopped at two doors and turned to them, “You guys will be neighbours, dial my extension if you need anything. Medical personnel will be up here soon,” she advised and gave them their clothes in the bags, then walked back to the elevator with Mr. Finelli.

There was a silence between them, they were alone now, and she slowly pulled away from the warmth of his body and towards the door leading to her room, her eyes still looking on the ground until she finally spoke, “This has been the worst day of my life…” even though her voice was quiet, it still echoed down the hall.

“Hang in there Becky,” he looked at her concerned, his voice soft, “I’m only a few steps away. Just have a shower and change your clothes. I’ll meet you out here in the hallway. I’ll tell the medical team to wait, just don’t be too long…you’ll think too much in there,” Steve knew this from experience from being in the army himself.

She looked up at him, “You would wait here for me?”

“Yeah, like I said before. I’m not leaving here without you,” the eye contact was intense, she started to feel warmth again, instead of numbness. “I’m not far away, ok. If I’m not outside, then, I’m just in here,” he said reassuringly, pointing at his door, a small smile appearing on his face.

She nodded and opened her door to her room, but took one last look at him first. Her pupils were larger than usual, her jaw relaxed and lips parted. He was going to say something, but she already made her way in the room and closed the door.

* * *

Becky stepped into the room, it was modern looking and it had large windows overlooking the NYC skyline and a balcony too. It really looked glamourous. There was a large bed with a black blanket and white sheets underneath in front of her, and on the other side before the balcony was a table and two chairs. There was also one night stand on each side of the bed with lamps on them. She looked to her right and saw the bathroom. She made a beeline towards it, just focusing on the task as she didn’t want to be in here too long alone.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she turned on the lights, as there was a large mirror right at the doorway. She saw all the blood on her clothes, her face looked worn and pale and her eyes sad. She frowned and looked away from the mirror, trying not to think about it. She turned on the shower and the sound of the water filled the quiet room. She waited for it to get hot while she took off the bloody clothes and put them in the bag Pepper gave her. She assumed they would be disposed of as they were ruined… just like her life was.

She closed her eyes tightly and told herself to hold it together and that she could only cry once she was standing under the water. It was a glass shower with a removable headpiece. Her mind was in a bit of a fog, but she made an effort to watch and be present in stepping into the shower, so as not to lose her balance. She opened the glass door and closed it as she stepped in and let the water fall from the top of her head, down to her toes. There was steam rising and clouding up the glass. Her muscles were tense. The only things she could hear were the water falling and her own breathing.

The water landing on her skin was so hot that it reminded her of the fire in the apartment. That’s when the flashes started coming back, David – his throat slashed laying on the floor in a pool of his own blood. David did not deserve that, David was special, he was one of the best guys she had ever met in her life. “_This must have to do with Fury, somehow,”_ she thought to herself. Just then, she happened to look down at the drain and saw a swirl of David’s blood mixing in with the water moving in a circular motion exiting down the drain. Her breathing became shallow and frequent, and she started to cry. This was reality, this was not a dream. This was it, and David was gone forever, and there is nothing she could do about it.

Then she cracked, the swirls of blood were like the bad memories in her head playing over and over again, circling, and rewinding and playing on it’s own accord. She fell to her knees and cried until finally she let out a soft howl, voice cracking and changing tones, while looking up at the shower head and the ceiling. Then she laid on her side on the shower tile floor and let the water fall on her. Her mind took her on an involuntary ride over the day’s events. There was no controlling it, it was done when it said it was done. “Alpha…” was all she could whisper.

* * *

Steve found the bathroom and the toiletries, he had changed his clothes and shaved off the hair starting to grow in on his face. He didn’t like the beard that was starting to take shape there and he looked forward to having a shower later. He took a wash cloth to his face as fast as possible as he didn’t want to miss the medical team who could be coming onto the floor any minute.

He heard his stomach rumble and realized that Becky must be hungry too. “Ok, we’ll talk to Tony. Then, get something to eat,” he said to himself trying to focus, when he thought he heard a faint howl. He stopped in his tracks and closed his eyes slowly in sadness, “Omega is hurting, Omega needs Alpha,” the voice said again. He gulped and kept his eyes closed for a few seconds and then opened them. There was a glass of water on the night stand so he drank it, this helped him cool down. “_Next task is to talk to Stark. See what this meeting is going to be all about.”_ He came out of his room and waited outside in the hallway.

The medical team arrived just as Becky came back out of her room, her hair was longer and wet. She had changed into a black track suit. The medics observed her and asked her some questions, and took her pulse and temperature. They gave her a thin silver blanket that looked like tin foil used in emergencies and it was light, and easy to wrap around her. They told her to keep warm and if symptoms get worse to alert them. Thankfully, everything seemed alright for now. Steve was just nervous about what Tony wanted and was thinking about what questions to ask him.

“You ready to go, Becky?” he studied her to make sure she was walking okay.

She looked at him and slightly nodded, but didn’t say anything and walked beside him covered in the blanket as Pepper came off the elevator.

“Oh great! You guys are ready?” she assumed.

They both nodded.

“Excellent! Come with me then, Tony’s on the 55th floor waiting for you,” She smiled and guided them there.

Once the door was opened, they saw Tony was sitting down on one of 3 couches in the middle of the room, all of them facing each other. The windows were from the floor to the ceiling giving a 360 view of the skyline.

“Hey, glad you guys could make it today,” They all shook hands, “Sit down wherever you’re comfortable.”

Steve sat down across from Tony, he expected Becky to come sit next to him, but instead she went to the free couch in the middle between the two of them, took off her shoes and laid down wrapping on her side facing them, the foil blanket around her without saying a word.

“Alright, well I’m glad you called today Captain Rogers…” Tony turned to look at Becky laying down with the blanket on.

“Yes, from the both of us, thank you for getting us out,” Steve said, trying to get his attention off of Becky.

Tony looked back at Steve, “Well, what I wanted to talk to you guys about was a possible job prospect.”

Steve raised an eyebrow, and Becky looked up at Tony with interest.

“As everyone knows, I am Iron Man. Although, it’s kinda hard for me to be in different places at once… I have decided in short, I’m looking to put together a team, to help keep the city safe," he said with great pride.

Steve and Becky looked at each other, not believing what they just heard.

“Don’t worry, I won’t need your answer right away. Although, it’s a pretty generous compensation package. Take some time to think about it. I know you guys had a particularly…” he looked over at Becky sympathetically, “Tough day…” his voice trailed off as Becky and Tony made first real eye contact. Her eyes started to water and she looked away, not wanting to look weak.

She took a deep breath in and finally spoke, “How do you know, Mr. Stark?” she looked back at him fighting tears.

“Steve told me over the phone after you guys had been taken into custody… I got my lawyer who’s on standby to come out as soon as possible… get you out of there,” his eyes concerned and almost affectionate.

She looked down at her silver blanket, “I can see why you would want Steve… Captain America on your team Mr. Stark.”

Then she looked at him again, “but why would you want to have me on your team as well?" She paused, "I have no special abilities.”

Steve studied Tony’s face carefully here, as he was wondering the same thing himself, remembering how Tony seemed to really take an interest in her earlier today when they shook hands and met for the first time.

“Good question, and I wouldn’t have expected any less from you… I took a look at your military file."

  
Becky went wide-eyed and swallowed hard, feeling very nervous.

"Aside from your 5 years of service for our country a few years ago, your most recent aptitude test score last year, you scored in the top percentile of the members in your field of administration…Could use a smart cookie like you on our team.”

She frowned at him, “I thought my file was confidential?” she said slowly.

“It is!” he responded right away. “I have top secret clearance and have worked with the military on many projects, as I’m sure you’re all well aware of… I also have some friends in places that could help me get information when I need to make a good decision.” He said, “I don’t take staffing lightly.” His dark brown eyes connecting with hers. “Think about it, it would be a really good opportunity for you.”

“What position, are you talking about?” she shook her head confused.

“Logistics and Personnel, you will also be analyzing information my computer systems J.A.R.V.I.S and F.R.I.D.A.Y have collected for weekly reports. You would also be helping out Pepper with various assignments if there is downtime and she needs help…” he paused, “and… if you’re missing some action… you could also help us with boots on the ground.”

She closed her eyes and saw David’s face on the floor again, it was flashing in her mind, and then darkness again. “Can… Can I be excused?” she could barely get the words out. 

“Yes, of course,” he nodded and watched her get up off the couch.

Becky got up and walked out of the room holding tight to her emergency blanket and headed back to her room.

Once the door closed Tony took a breath in and looked over at Steve, “Again, take your time Steve. Think about it, your position would be more boots on the ground with me and more risk than her’s, obviously. But you wouldn’t be averse to danger, being trained as a soldeir and all…” his voice trailed off.

Steve silently looked down in thought.

Tony looked back at the door where Becky exited from and then back at Steve, “So, what’s the relationship between you two anyways?”

“Excuse me?” Steve frowned.

Tony looked back at the door and back at Steve again, “I was just asking, every time I see you two, you’re always together.”

“I’m not sure how that’s any of your business,” he said standing up from the couch.

Tony frowned and raised an eyebrow at him. “If you’re going to be working with me in this capacity, I’ll need to know the team dynamics, it would be my business.”

Steve sighed, as he did have a point, “I’m not sure how to answer that question, Tony. It’s become… complicated”.

“Complicated…” he scoffed, “I know a thing or two about that! Relationships are tough,” slight grin on his face.

“We’re friends…” he said, “She’s been the truest friend I’ve had since I woke up.”

Tony kept listening, giving him undivided attention.

Then Steve thought of something, “Everything that you see about us in person, that’s different from how we used to be, was all done by the military… You said you had security clearance; did you see anything about eugenics in her file?” Steve’s eyes grew narrow and he listened closely to his heart beat and breath to detect any changes.

“No,” Tony looked him straight in the eyes, and Steve didn’t detect any biological signs of him lying.

Steve sighed, “Well… We will need to think about it and get back to you. While you’re at it though, if you get military security clearance again, look up any and all possible dirt you can find on Nick Fury, it would be really helpful…for all of us.” And with that Steve got up and shook Tony’s hand and left the room.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sparks fly and emotions are high in this one!
> 
> This chapter is long, and was very emotional for me to write - writing the dialogue made me cry a few times (not gonna lie). I have gotten very attached to these characters, I hope that you can learn some sprinkles of wisdom as I used some of my own experiences of losing loved ones in my life. 
> 
> I hope you are enjoying the story! Lots of love, I am excited to bring this to you and thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my work :)

Once Becky got into her room, she changed into a satin blue nightgown and put on a small pair of white shorts underneath. Becky laid down on her bed, cuddling with a pillow looking out at the sun setting through the balcony window. She couldn’t believe anything that happened today. Compared to how it started with a hop in her step, looking forward to reuniting with the love of her life, David. Now, he was dead… Today was his last day on earth. “_Did he know that today was his last day? My poor David…”_ And with that, she started to feel warmth in her face and her eyes started stinging, tears raining from them.

She curled into a ball, face hard in the pillow, then a scream from the heart came out. Anguish, with an intensity that made her blood boil. Beneath all the sorrow and flashes in her mind from today was a seed of rage planted in her. She was on fire. She knew it was there, but couldn’t entertain it today – her energy level just wasn’t there. She wiped her eyes and looked back at the sunset, the oranges, the pinks, she looked down, “_I do not deserve to look at such beauty.” _She steadied her breathing and turned to lay down on her back and looked at the ceiling.

Then there was a knock on her door, she rolled her eyes, she was NOT going to answer the door. She was dead to the world from the inside out.

“Becky…” called a soft voice, her brain focused, “It’s Steve.”

“Steve?” _“What’s he doing here?” _she thought. Eyes closed, she sat up in her bed and wiped any remaining tears, got up and opened the door. Her eyes could not believe one of the sweetest intentions to behold, there he was with two trays of food in his hands, both containing hot soup and sandwiches, not easy to balance. He was awkward, and very endearing. His eyes were a shiny blue and had a look of hope in them.

“I thought you might be hungry,” he smiled bashfully. What he did NOT expect was to see her in her pj’s. She looked so beautiful in the blue nightgown and her long brown hair falling almost to her waist. His throat was dry suddenly, he could feel it. When he looked up at her eyes, he could see she was crying.

She reacted by tilting her head to the side, involuntarily exposing a part of her gland on her neck and let out a relieving sigh. “You really are so sweet, Steve. Here, let me take one off your hands.” She grabbed one of the trays and brought it to the table across her room where the two chairs were beside the balcony. She looked back to see Steve still standing in the hallway. He really was awkward. She placed the tray down, and looked at him skeptically, “Aren’t you going to come in?”

Steve, with all his strength, was weak in the knees staring into her hazel eyes. She didn’t even know the power she had over him. He was trying to find the words to speak, “I…” he stammered, “I…didn’t want to just assume…”

She nodded, as she understood. “Yes, come in. Eat with me. I could… I could use the company,” She turned to the closet. “Let me just get a robe on…” she found a white one and wrapped it around her body.

Steve walked and over to the table and sat down. Once they were settled, they looked at each other and smiled. “_Something great about being around her. Something that felt easy and natural_.” The sun coming through the window was dancing on her face, the light bringing out the honey colour in her eyes. He felt so weak, his heart felt faint. He took a deep breath in, “You look like, you’ve been crying…” he said in a sympathetic tone.

She took a sharp breath in and looked out at the sunset for a moment, “Well, that’s because I was,” she was honest with him. He looked down and frowned. “I wasn’t really feeling hungry…” she said still looking at the sunset. He looked back up at her. “But…my dad has this thing…” she scoffed, “He says he’ll go through his day…He won’t feel just how hungry he was until he starts eating…so…We’ll see if that’s the case with me.” She gave him a smile, that was a win for the day for Steve as far as he was concerned.

“Are you going to get in touch with your parents?” Steve asked while taking a bite of his sandwich.

She hesitated, “No… Not yet,” she looked down and had more soup, “Not until we know what’s happening. After today… I don’t want anyone else to possibly get hurt or die. The less people who know about us, the better... I think.”

There was a silence between them, but Steve didn’t feel awkward anymore. She was finally speaking now, whereas she couldn’t for hours before. They were no longer stuck in a police station, and now they were sitting in a luxurious room with an excellent view of the city eating food together. These were more wins for today, this awful day.

“Thank you…” she said in a small voice. He looked up at her, and her expression relaxed, “Thank you for doing this…” she pointed at the food.

He smiled, that inner voice came back, “Alpha wants to take care of Omega.”

Steve felt at peace with that feeling, it was right.

She pointed out of the window behind him, “This sunset has some of the colours from that brilliant sunset we saw when we were walking on the beach in Hawaii…” she smiled at him, “Do you remember that?”

“Yes…I couldn’t forget,” he looked over his shoulder and looked at the sunset through the window and then looked back at her, “Before we talked to Tony and you came out with your hair wet. It reminded me of when we went swimming near the waterfall in Hawaii. I like that look on you.” He smiled at her “It made me realize just how long your hair actually is, it’s actually got a really nice natural wave to it when it dries,” he could tell he was rambling. He never really had much game with women like his friend Bucky. He sighed as they slowly made eye contact again. Becky looked down at her food and took a bite of her sandwich and looked at the sunset. Steve did the same. “Do you know what you want to do, with Tony?”

She looked back at him, clenching her jaw. “I don’t know…I have questions…”

“What questions?” he asked taking another bite of his sandwich.

She took her spoon having more of her soup. “I’m glad you came over, I wanted to talk to you about something…”

Steve’s eyes widened “Alright, what is it?”

She looked in his eyes, “The police…at the apartment today, did they read you your rights?”

“Yes, they did it after they brought me outside and handcuffed me.”

She looked away and frowned, “They didn’t read me my rights… I want to talk to Mr. Finelli about that. They kept on asking me “what I was.” Her eyes got softer, “They saw my glands.” She paused, “They asked me in the interrogation room if I was fully human… I’m thinking… What if I’m not?” She bit her bottom lip, “Therefore…Not eligible or qualified to be protected under “Human Rights” because I’m no longer fully human…” Steve’s eyes widened at the thought, “Did they treat you like this too?”

“No, they followed protocol. One of the police officers recognized me as Captain America, maybe that’s why?” he took her hand from across the table, “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there with you at the station. I called Tony as soon as we got in.”

“It’s ok, because you did…we are here now…and I guess that’s a good thing compared to where we’ve been…” a small smile came onto her face. “But, now…” she looked at him serious, “I’m wondering something else…”

“What’s that?” he asked concerned.

She looked around, “This is a nice room, isn’t it? Is it a room? … Or… is it another kind of cage?” she paused, “We escaped Fury rather easily don’t you think? He let us go…why? How do we, for one, know Tony is not in cahoots with Fury? Everything Fury has ever said to us has been a lie. I don’t trust people anymore.”

“Well, you can trust me…” Steve said instantly.

She scoffed, “If I didn’t trust you Steve, I wouldn’t have even answered the door, let alone let you in.” She grew anxious and she started to wince in pain and worry, “Steve…” her eyes started to water, “We need to find out who is who…what’s really happening. If we’re not protected anymore…under the law, because we’re not human anymore and if we can’t trust anyone…” she shook her head, doom in her voice, “We’ll need to hide!” tears starting to fall.

“We cannot hide… or run…” He said firmly.

“Why?”

“Because once you start running, they won’t stop coming for you. They won’t stop.”

There was a silence between them for a few minutes as she thought about what he said, “Steve, we gotta get answers as soon as possible.” She looked back at him frowning and whispered as her heart ached, “These people, whoever they are…they killed David…probably because of **me,**” more tears started to come.

Steve grimaced at the thought and leaned across the table, cupping her face with one of his hands.

“If they would kill David, what’s stopping them from killing us?” she said leaning into his hand on her face.

“I talked to Tony after you left, about your military file and it didn’t say anything about eugenics in it,” his hand still cupping her face across the table.

She almost felt relief, but had to contest, “Did it say anything else? How do you know?”

“I can hear heartbeats, and irregular breathing if I focus, it’s part of the serum they originally injected me with. Usually if someone is lying, I can sense it.”

“And…”

“I don’t think he’s with Fury, I think…we may have caught a break here.” He wanted to kiss her right there. Eyes fixed on each other’s, her skin was smooth and soft and… getting warmer… He looked at her cheeks and found they were getting a rosy colour to them. He just noticed his wrist gland was much closer to her nose now. Being the gentlemen that he was, he was not going to take advantage of the poor girl who lost her fiancée earlier today. “_No, she needs rest.”_ He thought. “No. She…Needs…Alpha…” the inner voice said.

She kept looking at him, he was viewing her, but she could see he was thinking, forgetting he still was cupping her face, but she didn’t stop him. She welcomed his sent, it was soothing to her mind. She slowly blinked and parted her lips and looked down at his mouth and back into his eyes. He blinked again and came back to reality.

He brought his hand back down to the table and connected back into her hazel eyes. “You look tired, Becky.”

She sighed and looked the other way at her bed a few feet away, “Yes…I am…”

“You should go to sleep; it’ll help you get your strength back,” he said sweetly.

“How on earth can I sleep, if I can’t even live with myself? It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have stopped by his apartment; he would still be alive today.”

“No, don’t do that.” He shook his head, “That was NOT your fault!” he looked her straight in the eyes. “All you did was try to get back to the one you love.”

There was a pause, registering what he was saying, “Do you still miss her? Peggy?”

“Yes, very much,” a look of pain flashed in his eyes, but was instantly gone.

“I’m so angry Steve,” her eyes started to water again, but he could see a blaze sitting in them.

“Yes!” Steve went wide-eyed, “Yes, if anything like that happened to Peggy…” he couldn’t find the words to complete that thought.

“But… I just don’t have the strength…” she winced in agony and sobbed.

“You don’t have to do anything about it today… enough has happened today. It can wait till tomorrow, when you’ve had more time to think about things. You know… recharge.”

There was another moment of silence, and her mind drifted off into a daydream about David and herself on vacation up north a few years ago, trying kayaking for the first time, getting their picture taken from a nice family off a dock. She didn’t have that picture anymore. The police still have them.

He saw her mind drifting away, even though he was awkward, he took her hand and stood up and guided her to her bed. The walking slowly brought her back to the present, both beside her bed now. “You’ve had a crazy day,” they were standing really close to each other, his hand brushed a strand of long hair behind her ear. “It’s time to sleep.” And what she said next shocked him…she looked him in the eyes and said, “Please, don’t go… I don’t want to be alone.”

His heart skipped a beat, but she sounded more like a little girl who was scared of the dark.

He lifted the covers on the bed and she slowly sat down and laid herself in it, still wearing the robe she put on earlier. He crouched down beside the bed so they were at eye level, and he brought blankets over her to cover her comfortably, her head resting on a pillow. Their connection and eye contact was magical in these moments, there were barely any words spoken to each other, but there was trust there. He slowly brought one of his hands up, his fingertips touching the top of her forehead and slowly with a featherlike touch dragged down his fingers, lightly grazing her eyelids making them go in a downward direction inducing sleep, grazing her eyelashes, her nose, then her lips, all the way to her chin…and then repeated the same action slowly. Absorbing his touch, his smell, then he spoke to her in this soothing deep voice, “It’s been a long day… You need to rest now… You don’t have to worry anymore… Sleep now… We will work through it tomorrow… tonight… just sleep… rest… You’re ok… You’re alright… You’re safe… I won’t let anything happen to you… just sleep… rest… I will be right next door… and I will see you in the morning…” _“beautiful girl…”_ a thought he kept to himself. “Omega” the inner voice with him said longingly.

She must have been asleep halfway through him speaking to her, for she did not stir, and her pulse slowed down, as did her breathing. He stayed crouched down beside her bed for a few minutes looking at her and thinking about the conversation they had. Fury lied…a lot. He had to check this one thing out, just for himself. Just to know for sure…once and for all.

He got up and quietly exited Becky’s room. Then he exited the building, he had to know. Becky brought up very good points. He was tired of the lies, he was taken out of his world and put into another. He just needed to know for sure. He started walking to the address he photographed in his mind. There was still a bit of sunlight left, but as it transitioned to night the Christmas lights on the poles and trees turned on and the neighbourhoods took on a happier and festive energy. He saw parents coming home from work picking up their kids and taking them home. He saw homeless people on the street. He saw couples meeting up and holding hands, people selling new phones on the street calling out to people, just like how they used to when trying to sell news papers.

The wind was starting to have a bite to it, as the temperature started to drop from the sun going to bed for the night. As he got closer to the destination, anxiety started to pile up in his chest, he couldn’t help it – he had to start running. His breath started hitching, but he remained focused. He stopped at the red light across the street, there was his destination, he saw the church he was looking for. Now that he was here, he didn’t want to know. He dragged his feet while crossing the road and walked to the side of the church. There were lights around, so he could see the names on the headstones. He slowly opened the black, metal, point-ended gates and walked in. For some reason, even though this cemetery was in the thick of New York City, the volume of the city noise somehow had significantly decreased. Taking a deep breath in, he walked around, his feet making tracks in the thin layer of snow on the grass. Then he saw it, and he started to cry. A beautiful headstone, the name on it was Margaret "Peggy" Carter.

Steve’s hot tears came down his face, as he remembered reading in her military file the date when she passed away was exactly the same date on the headstone. In this instance, Fury had told him the truth this time, that he had woken up too late. Too late for their promised dance with their “right partner” – the one they were looking for. She lived a long and productive life of service for the country they both loved. His heart ached for what could have been, and nothing seemed to make sense anymore.

Finally, he said to her, “I’m sorry Peggy,” sniffles in between the words, “I missed our date. I am beyond late. I’m sorry.” He paused, “You helped me… and I don’t know what to do now Peggy,’’ tears still coming down, heart aching. “I won’t ever forget you. You were and always will be, the love of my life.” He took a sharp breath in and looked at her name, the imprint in the stone, the image burned in his mind. He reached out his hand and touched the cold stone letters etching her name. “I’m glad you moved on and had a full and happy life. You deserved it… You will always be my best girl. I just wished we could’ve had our dance… I guess… Time escaped us both.” He stepped back and put his hand in his pocket and took out his compass with the picture of Peggy in it, and looked at it one last time. Then he slowly closed the compass and put it down beside the gravestone. Somehow, even though he didn’t know it could hurt this bad, he felt worse.

He looked at the compass on the ground beside the headstone and looked around, it was dark outside now, he looked up and it started to lightly snow. The little flakes falling on to his face and blonde hair and the top of her headstone. Steve turned his head and happened to look at the side of the church, the stain glass was illuminated from behind, the lights were on and it looked so inviting.

Something guided his steps through the wind’s direction and into the church he went, indeed the lights were on, there were a few people at the front at the altar moving things around and putting up decorations and a few people sitting in the pews. It was done up beautifully inside with Christmas ordainment and various colour lights, evergreen trees in the corners, candles alight with prayer intentions for others and for themselves. He stepped in and seated himself in the middle of the church and just sat there in the quiet. A place to let his heart rest and pray for his beloved Peggy. His tears started to dry as he watched what the people were doing at the front of the altar, they were getting ready for something.

A few more moments passed when something caught his attention, like a voice of an angel, “I believe you’ve dropped this…” a small hand came into his view, he saw the compass he had laid down at Peggy’s grave. His eyes moved to the small hand, to the gland at the wrist, then the scent, it was unmistakably Becky. He looked up and saw her kind face, her hazel eyes ablaze. She was dressed in her black tracksuit again. She sat down beside him and looked into his eyes with the softest motion.

“How did you find me?” he looked at her surprised.

She shifted in the pew, looking a little uncomfortable, “I… followed your scent.”

Steve swallowed hard forcing down his sadness trying to not let it show, he appreciated what she did, “No, I left it there.” He said looking away in pain.

“Steve,” she said softly, almost as a whisper, “You’ll feel differently about it later…believe me.”

He was looking down, then he moved his head and looked at her with tears forming in his eyes. She hadn’t seen him look like that since they were underground in the hatch when she went into the panic room and looked at him through the security camera. Back when they weren’t sure if they were friends or enemies. His eyes vulnerable, beautiful, honest. Only this time it was in person, and not through a screen, and it made her heart flutter and took her breath out of her.

She caught her breath, “This woman, she helped make you how you are today. Keep it… I don’t want you to feel the regret I feel.” She whispered, “I regret giving away my engagement ring now, the police took the only two photos I could get my hands on…and I won’t be able to get them back.” She paused, “Everyone has a past. If she was a good person, it’s worth keeping,’’ and she handed it back to him. “You can still start over and keep pictures of people who meant a lot to you.”

Steve looked at the closed compass in his hand again. Somehow, in this case, she was right. This soothed his heart more than leaving it there. Then he spoke, “This was the church where her funeral was, and I missed it, just like our dance.”

“I’m sorry, Steve” she took his hand in hers and looked up at the ceilings and the walls of the church. “David and I used to go to this church together,” he looked at her and frowned “we had our marriage prep class here, and planned our wedding here too…but…I guess I’ll be attending his funeral soon instead…’’ her voice trailed off when she noticed older children coming to the front of the altar with what looked to be their teacher. She looked straight ahead, “Are they…having a concert here tonight?” She glanced to the sides and noticed more families were entering the church and sitting down. At the right hand side of the altar, three people came out carrying a tall harp. She gasped as she remembered her childhood choir days, indeed there was a concert happening tonight.

Then she turned to him, and asked him softly “Do you want to stay for the concert, maybe sing some songs with me?” She bit her bottom lip, expecting resistance from him, but nothing…no answer came from his mouth and he kept on looking at her. She went on to say with honesty, “Music can help forget your problems, want to stay here with me, and forget…just for a bit?” her voice cracking slightly. He held her hand tighter still looking at her, “I didn’t have any other plans tonight,” the smallest smile appearing on his face, but she still detected it and she responded in kind.

Some of the songs he knew, some he recognized, some he had never heard before. He would sing along with the songs he knew. Although, his favourite ones were the songs where she would start to sing. She had a lovely voice, the sound itself was just nice to listen to. Then the choir sang a funny song about playing in the snow, and at the end had snowballs made out of Styrofoam and started making a pretend scene snow fight. Both of them laughed in amusement, reminding them about their childhood days when everything was so much simpler. Then the concert ended, and the kids walked off towards their families and prepared to leave.

Becky turned to Steve with a smile on her face, “So, how did you like the concert?”

He raised his eyebrows trying to find the right words, “It was… nice,” he said simply, but he really meant it, it really was nice. Some of the songs were ones he memorized when he was young, and it transported him back to his world for a few moments and gave him a sense of comfort that not everything is forgotten.

“I guess we’ll head out then,” she slowly got up out of the pew and he followed her out the door. The wind was gentle but had a cool bite to it.

“Well, that was good.” He said, “It made me think… maybe we should be grateful that we still have our lives…”

“Yeah,” she nodded in agreement, “Let’s head back.”

Steve yawned, “Yeah, good idea.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my work.
> 
> I have been working hard on this. These scenes play like movies in my head, I hope that my words paint the pictures correctly in your imaginations. It's been therapeutic for me to express views that feel locked inside my heart and head. I'm hoping you're enjoying the story so far.
> 
> Trigger warning - not to spoil what's in the chapter, but if you are prone to flashbacks of any kind (myself included) or had some form of sexual abuse in your life, I don't want to trigger you. There will be some content related to that subject matter in this chapter. I just want you to understand the depths of emotions these characters have and how complicated their lives have become now because of it, and why they behave the way they do in present day. I hope I tagged the appropriate warnings. I want this story to be enjoyable for you. I know this stuff can be heavy, but heavy can also be beautiful if done with heart.
> 
> Lots of love always :)

It was late in the evening, where most people had gone home for the night, and Nick Fury was working late as per usual.

“Let me know as soon as Jesse Hughes is ready, Doctor,” Nick Fury commanded over the phone, and he hung up. He sifted through papers on his desk when a beautiful woman with green eyes came into the doorframe. He looked up, “Kyla, come in…and close the door.” She did that and sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. He looked at her and sighed in disappointment. “You were sloppy. The body didn’t burn, nor did your disguise.”

Her eyes went from relaxed to a sharp frown, narrowing as she leaned closer to his desk, “Someone was supposed to make the streetlights in the area malfunction to give me more time…but THAT didn’t happen.”

Fury looked at her serious, “There’s evidence the feds may have in their possession that could link us.”

“No…Not yet…” She snapped back.

He looked her up and down, “How are you feeling?”

“Alright, I guess” she replied.

There was a brief silence.

“No heat yet?”

“I’m waiting for you Nick,” she said suggestively, “When are you changing yourself?”

“Not yet…As of right now with everything going on, I cannot take the downtime to recover without it looking suspicious.”

She sneered and stomped one foot on the ground and got up out of her seat, voice fiery, “There’s always some sorry excuse from you,” she said pointing at him.

“If you’re suppressing your heat and getting antsy, I’m currently working on transforming another male subject into an Alpha,” he said in a cold, calm voice. She was shocked. “If you can’t wait…” he said in a mocking tone.

“What? I thought it would be between the two of us.” She took a deep breath in and leaned in closer to his desk, “The Steve Rogers and Becky Morrison subjects failed to give you the results you wanted. I didn’t want to kill that man in the apartment. I could tell he was,” she paused, “a good man.” She frowned.

“Indeed,” Fury got up from his chair “but with you taking the Fiancée out of the picture there is hope for them yet.” He turned around and turn on one of the TV screens. Kyla slowly walked over to stand beside him, looking at the same monitor. There was a man laying down in what appeared to be a hospital bed, his arms attached to tubing injecting chemicals into him. She recognized the man’s face from the news a few years ago, he did gruesome things to women, and then he got caught.

“Jesse Hughes…” she said out loud shaking her head. “A convicted rapist,” she looked up at Fury in horror. “I did all of this for you, so you and I could be together. Why would you choose to give these drugs to a convicted felon – a rapist no less?”

“I’m sick of Steve Roger’s goodie two shoes! I need results fast, before the cops are onto us.” He turned to her, softly taking both her hands in his. Kyla looked at their hands together, she loved this man… but the last 24 hours was taking it too far, she never killed before and was having remorse for what she had done, “I’ll give him instructions to be soft with you. Once he knows you’re my woman, he’ll obey. He’ll obey his creator.”

She looked at him sternly, eyebrows narrowing, “You… Don’t… Know… That…” she unhooked her hands, “You’d risk everyone else, but yourself.”

Fury sighed, turned around and started walking back to his chair on the other side of the desk, his back was facing her when he heard the sound of a gun clocking back. He froze and stood up straight and slowly turned back around facing her, seeing Kyla pointing her gun at him, rage in her eyes.

“Now Kyla,” he said lowly and slightly menacingly, “Don’t take your gun out, unless you're planning on using it.” She was hesitating, many emotions displayed across her face at once. She was struggling, perfect time to capitalize, “You don’t wanna shoot me baby,” he said in a loving voice. She gulped, tightening her grip on the gun as her palms were getting sweaty. “You love me, don’t you baby?” Slight smile on his face.

“Shut up Nick!” she yelled.

Fury leaned back surprised; he was not expecting that reaction from her. Usually he had her wrapped around her finger. She was crazy about him. Yes, they had their fights before…but this…this was different.

“You never had any intention of becoming an Alpha…Did you?” her eyes starting to water.

He was silent.

“DID YOU!?” she yelled, gripping her 9-millimeter tighter.

Still silence from Fury.

She grew more agitated, “You just wanted to use me!” tears falling from her eyes. “And better yet, you pair “Your Woman” … with a rapist.” She paused, “You must have never loved me at all.”

He lunged towards her, but she shot him twice in the chest and he fell to the ground. The echo of the shots rang through her ears, she saw his body drop to the floor. She sighed, and more tears started falling from her eyes. She was frozen in the shooting stance for a few moments heartbroken, and she threw the gun to the other side of the room. Then she turned around and looked out the window of the skyscraper at the car lights below and started crying. She felt so dirty, so duped, so used. She sniffled and put her head in her hands.

Unexpectedly, there was a strong force pulling her body back by her throat. A warm presence on her trachea preventing her from breathing. Then she felt her back against a warm body. To the left of her ear, a warm face with sweat on it, then Fury’s voice, “Always gotta wear a bullet proof vest in this kind of work.” He leaned in closer and Kyla could see him hurting her in the reflection of the window as it was dark outside and light inside. It was terrifying, she couldn’t escape his grip. “Eugenics breeds out the feeblemindedness trait, one that you are rich in. You’re not fit for breeding…You are WORTHLESS…and always have been…” she was choking, “DIE!” He took his hand to the top of her head and broke her neck.

Kyla’s body fell to the floor, no longer breathing. Her body went cold fast, and Fury was met with silence in his office other than him catching his breath. Then he walked over to the commlink on his desk, “Jesse, it’s Fury, whenever you’re done your treatment…” he looked down on the floor at Kyla’s body, “I have a toy you can play with…”

* * *

Steve knocked on Becky’s door the next morning, he wanted to check on her and see how she was doing today. He thought about their time at the church and how she had been there for him. It took a while for her to answer, but when she did, she had tears going down her face. “Becky, I’m so sorry. Did I come at a bad time?”

She sniffled, “No Steve, what can I do for you?” she could barely get out the words. Her eyes were bright but saddened to the core.

He rehearsed how he was going to ask her out for breakfast, but this was a very inappropriate time. Determined as he was, he couldn’t leave her like this. He thought she would’ve been refreshed, but she looked ragged. Her hands were trembling, placing it back on her side of the door. “Alright,” he breathed in, “I’m bringing you breakfast!” he declared.

“No, it’s ok Steve. I’m not really all that hungry,” she started to whimper.

“Becky… You need to eat something. Let me just bring it up to you,” he looked behind her and peered inside her room. All the blinds were down, the only light coming from the open door.

“It’s ok Steve, I just need to be left alone…”

“No, I just wanted to make sure you were ok. Were you crying?” he said concerned.

“Yes, I woke up this morning and I remembered everything. Like a wave of reality just washed over me, and there’s nothing I can do to change it…” She looked up at him, "I really really appreciate you trying to make me happy, but I’m just going to stay here. I just… need some time on my own.” She started to cry.

“Becky… Please let me in.” he said anxiously.

“No…No Steve…I’ll be alright. Again,” She looked at his blue eyes and blonde hair and all his facial expressions at once, “I really appreciate you coming to check up on me.” Before he could protest anymore, she closed the door on him and locked it. He heard the door click and understood the message, his heart hurt, but he thought about it and gave her some space.

* * *

Steve stepped off the elevator and onto Tony’s floor where he was repairing some of his Iron Man suits, “Good morning Tony, I’m reporting for duty,” he called out.

Tony stopped what he was doing and turned around to see Steve walking towards him, “Good morning Steve,” he took off his work gloves and walked over to him. “I trust you slept well?”

“I guess, not used to a normal mattress anymore, it must be all mental.’’

“What do you mean?” Tony frowned.

“Used to sleeping outside on rocks, being trained as a soldier, and now, mattresses seem so soft, like falling into a marshmallow.”

“Well, you can go camping on the street anytime you like, if that helps?” he replied sarcastically. “Alright Steve, I got in touch with my contacts from the military and they delivered your suit, and your shield… Check it out over there in that package.” He pointed to it across the room.

Steve slowly walked over the big package on the table and opened the box. Sure enough, there it was, his suit and mask, and his Vibranium shield. A sense of relief came over him as he felt them in his hands, at last some familiarity in this new world. He turned to Tony still working on the Iron Man suit, “Any information on Nick Fury?”

“You’re welcome Captain,” he said sarcastically, “It was hard to get your suit and shield from the military. We’re still working on getting information about Fury, Pepper is on it right now as we speak.”

Steve nodded and turned back at his shield and suit.

“We’ll be able to make improvements to the suit, both functional and aesthetically if you wish. If you want that done, now’s the time to do it. Let me know what modifications you want, and I can work on them today. Try it on, make sure everything fits,” he joked.

Steve gave him a side smile, feeling rather happy about this next stage in his life.

“So,” Tony asked, “Where’s your lady friend?”

Steve hesitated, and looked back at him, “She…wasn’t feeling well.”

“Oh,” he replied, “Should I get Pepper to check up on her today?”

Steve thought for a moment, “No, she just… needs some space today.”

Tony scoffed, “You get turned down today, Steve?” slight grin on his face.

Steve frowned his eyebrows together, not liking that statement, “Like I said, she just needs her space today,” his tone more serious.

Tony raised both of his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders, “Alright, was just wondering since I always see you guys together and all…” his voice trailed off. “Alright,” he put down one of his tools, “Some ideas for your suit, I want to connect you to F.R.I.D.A.Y and J.A.R.V.I.S and set up a commlink in your suit so we can talk to each other in the field.”

Steve passed him the suit and they started working on it together.

* * *

Becky opened her eyes; she must have fallen asleep again. Her heart ached, the pain in her chest unbearable. Tears rolling down each side of her eyes. She laid on her back stretched out on the bed and staring at the ceiling. _“You’re gone…Davy… How could you be gone? What is there without you, my love?”_ She turned to her side and curled up into a ball. Then she heard a knock on the door, she stopped breathing turned her head towards the door. No voice identifying themselves. She wasn’t going to answer it, she laid back down on the bed and closed her eyes. Time went by, there was no clock in the room, so she wasn’t sure how much time at that point.

She decided to get up and open the door and look outside. She looked both ways, but no one was walking in the hall. Then something caught her eyes near her feet… Her eyes widened in surprise… it was a tray with dinner and a bouquet of flowers beside them, not roses but white, yellow, purple, cheerful colours. She smiled and shook her head, she picked it up and brought them into her room and opened the blinds. She must’ve missed the day as it was nighttime again. Not sure what time it was. She took the food from the tray and started eating. Then she put the flowers in a vase and put water in it. Looking at them made her happy. She looked at the tray again to find a piece of paper on it that she didn’t notice before. She picked it up and it read:

_“I know you’re not feeling well today, but I hope this can help cheer you up. Even a little bit. I’ll see you tomorrow, hopefully you’ll feel better enough for breakfast. Goodnight. – Steven”._

Her heart hurt from reading the note, but not in a negative way – it felt like it was being stretched – like she could feel more… more than she wanted to... She gulped and gasped, and frowned… Guilt starting to pour in. “Stop it!” she said out loud to herself. Then she felt numb. Numb was safe. Numb was good. Numb was when she was in control… and right now… after not eating all day… all she wanted to do was enjoy her dinner alone in the dark with the city skyline keeping her company.

Darkness was a double-edged sword. One, you knew what to expect, it always looks the same – either dim light or black, so a sense of predictability to calm her anxious mind. The other side is, once in the darkness and quiet, then there is nothing distracting from the thoughts. The flashes started coming back ten-fold…and to make it worse… it wasn’t just from yesterday. It was also others from years ago, she thought she was fully healed, but with the hopefulness of a bright future with her fiancée gone, she felt there was nothing to make it better… and all the thoughts and flashbacks came after her soul now… and she was weak.

The movies started to play in her head, she couldn’t see the room she was in anymore, “DAVID!” her in the fire with him, the cops asking what she was, the pictures burning in the room before she grabbed them, the burning fake pregnancy suit. Then… a military officer in uniform, “No one is going to believe you,” he said to her… Not fully seeing his face, the voice was unmistakable. “You’re such a pretty girl… Are you a slut?” She started shaking her head, trying to get the movie to stop playing. “Kiss me pretty girl… Take off your uniform. THAT’S AN ORDER!” she felt her stomach churn and winced in emotional agony. “You think you can report YOUR Senior Officer? Try it! I’ll show you YOUR place!”

Then she screamed and curled into a ball. She was shaking, she needed to get out. “No…” was all she could say as she crawled on all fours on the floor. She went to the balcony, she needed fresh air and to be away from the darkness. She opened the sliding door and crawled onto it, breathing heavily. Panic filled her mind, “No… Stop,” she whispered to herself. It was cold on the ground and there was a thin layer of snow covering the balcony. She slowly brought herself up to the railings, they were a little higher than her waist, but she leaned over, looking down at the streets below, tears falling down her face.

“Becky…” shouted a voice.

She turned to her right and saw Steve on the balcony next door, about 10 feet of space between them and about 45 floors up from the ground. His look of horror made her realize she was in worse shape than she thought. She was in her blue nightgown in the cold, no robe, bare feet. A feeling of great shame came over her, but it only fueled the need to stop the pain. His eyes desperate. The wind was high and cold, but in less than 5 seconds he jumped towards her balcony.

  
  
“No! Steve!” she went wide-eyed as she watched him make it over the bar of the balcony, but he landed on her. As they were falling backwards onto the balcony floor, he thought fast and placed his hand behind her head so she wouldn’t hit it on the hard surface. The balcony was cold, her skin touching the thin layer of snow.

He had his legs straddled over her core, and he picked himself up to look at her. She was looking at him but then looked off to the side into the night sky, blank stare on her face. He tried to get her attention by calling her name and waving his hand in front of her face, but it looked like she was watching something horrifying unfold, then she started to squirm and breathing became erratic. He saw this look before, his comrades in war, in the infirmary, the shell shock. “Becky…” he cupped the side of her face, snowflakes falling down in her brown hair spread behind her head in every direction, “Becky… Please,” he turned her head to look at him and slowly she looked into his eyes, she knew that familiar scent and then next thing she noticed was his blonde hair moving in the wind, and it seemed like she came back to her normal self. Her lips parted and she was trying to catch her breath. “Becky, please… I know what you were going to do. Don’t ever scare me like that again.” He took her hand in his and kissed the top of it. “Please don’t do that again.”

She couldn’t say anything, too much to comprehend in her mind. She stared at him as he picked her up bridal style and went back into her room. He placed her on the bed and immediately put the covers over her. She was cold and wind was wicked at this height.

She grabbed his hand and he looked at her, her breathing became unsteady, “Please… Don’t judge me.” Almost a look of anger in her eyes, he knew this from the soldiers he served with, “I am in so much pain.”

“I know… I know Becky. I have seen this, many times before,” he said tenderly. He sat down on the bed and caressed her cheek.

“You don’t know what I’ve been through,” she said angrily.

He held her hand, “No, I don’t judge you. You must be in a lot of pain in order for you to do that. I’m just glad I could be there for you.”

She started to cry, “I feel so ashamed of myself…” and she cried even more.

“Becky, I’m here and there’s nothing to be ashamed of,” he caressed her hand with his thumb.

“Steve,” she looked down afraid to ask.

“Yeah,” he replied.

“Can…” she felt so stupid after all of this, she didn’t deserve this, “Can…” she swallowed hard to try to get the words out, “Can you…Please… Hold me… At least until I fall asleep?” She looked up at him after she said the words. She was met with silence and no expression on his face. She pressed her lips together and looked down, the voice inside her head proving that she didn’t deserve love, comfort, or solace.

Steve took a deep breath, let go of her hand, got up off the bed and started walking. Becky looked at him… _“He’s going to head out of the door and never want to speak to me again after this”_.

Then he turned the corner on the other side of the bed. He looked up at her, almost as if asking for permission. She nodded. He took off his shoes, put a knee on the top of her black blanket and then the other leg and slowly with no sudden movements lowered himself and laid down beside her.

They looked into each other’s eyes, “Do you…” she looked down at his body and looked up at his eyes again, “Want to go under the covers?”

He sighed and said, “Call me old fashioned, but I believe that would be inappropriate…” then he put his arm around her, and Becky nestled her head into his chest. They were breathing in each other’s scent. It was extremely calming and almost intoxicating for the both of them, the fear was driven out of her and sleep came to her quickly. Steve gazed at her face, calmer, more relaxed. He was about to pull away when he noticed her mouth was moving, so he focused and listened to the faintest whisper… “Alpha…” was what she said. He took his hand and stroked her hair on the back of her head in a soothing manner for a few minutes.

He took in one more deep breath and carefully let her down and crawled out of the bed. He turned to exit the door when he looked back he saw the flowers he left for her now in a vase with water on the night stand and the little note he wrote beside it, it warmed his heart to know that she acknowledged it, and he closed the door and headed back to his room for the night.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I write this all the time, but it's true. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my work. 
> 
> I hope that you are enjoying this story so far :) Please feel free to leave a comment or a kudos, it gives me great satisfaction to know people are enjoying the work I am writing. This story has my heart in many ways, I get to let out some of my own experiences, and entertain people along the way through written words... This is really a privilege. I am grateful for your feedback. Have an awesome day! Lots of love :)

Steve awoke to the sound of a soft howl vibrating through the walls. He thought it may have been his dream as he was recounting the fire and seeing Becky holding David in her arms. Then it happened again, only this time he was sure it wasn’t inside his head. It was Becky. He opened his eyes, panic ran through his system, until he heard it a third time through the wall accompanied by a cry and a whimper.

He got out of his bed, shirtless with black track pants on, and walked over to the wall across from him and put his ear to it, closed his eyes and listened. He could hear water running through the pipes, water falling on the ground and muffled crying. His heart ached knowing there was nothing he could do to ease her suffering. If anyone ever harmed Peggy the way they did to David…

“Becky…” he whispered.

The crying stopped for a few moments and then the water turned off. He heard her step out of the shower and turn off the light switch. Then… silence. He sighed opening his eyes and looking at the wall. He stepped back and looked out the window at the sun about to rise, the day had started, and it was time to get a move on anyways, no sense in going back to sleep.

Then he heard a knock on his door… He could smell her. He turned around and walked to the door and looked out of the peephole just to be sure. It was her, _“Did she hear my whisper through the wall?” _ he thought nervously.

He opened the door, “Becky…” he said surprised, she stared at him eyes ablaze, intense, red around the rims from crying, lips parted and breathing heavily.

Then she leaped at him and closed the door, it was still somewhat dark in the room and she pulled her body close to his and kissed him passionately, running her hands through his hair and down his chest, biting his lower lip, readjusting any time she thought he was slipping out of the kiss. There was electricity and fire between the two of them. Fire met gasoline, Steve walked backwards as she was kissing him and she pushed him down on to the bed, only breaking the kisses to let him fall on his back. Her eyes were still ablaze, but her face emotionless. She straddled her legs one on each side of his hips. Then, she grabbed the bottom of her shirt with her hands and lifted it above her head and threw her shirt to the wall. Steve couldn’t believe what was happening as she was in her bra now, “Becky… Are you alright? What are you doing?”

She slowed down and leaned back and gazed at him, her face almost looked sad, breathing heavily she said, “Help me, Alpha!”

In a flash she was gone. He opened his eyes and the sun was shining through the window, that was all a dream. He didn’t know whether to be disappointed or relieved. He was sweating and his throat was dry. “I really need a cold shower,” he said to himself.

* * *

Steve knocked on Becky’s door, he remembered his dream and was nervous about what it might mean, but he pushed it to the back of his mind as he heard the doorknob turn. Becky opened the door; her eyes were indeed red rimmed as she had been crying not too long ago. “Good morning,” was all he could think of to say to her.

“Good morning Steve,” she put on a happy voice and a small smile to greet him.

“I wanted to come by and take you down for breakfast at the cafeteria downstairs.” He paused, “I don’t want to go alone, and I thought maybe you could use the company,” he said with a smile on his face. His smell was still as intoxicating to her as when they first met in the hatch, his smile on top of that, she could hardly look away from him.

She looked at him and sighed, “Yeah, maybe I should get out of this room. Let me just get changed,” she turned her back and that’s when he noticed she was wearing the same blue nightgown from last night. She looked beautiful in it. He stopped his thoughts right there; afraid she might catch on.

“Alright, I’ll be in the hallway,” he said as he closed the door.

* * *

They were quiet on their way down the hall and waiting for the elevator, once they stepped on Steve looked over at Becky, her face was more relaxed and reflective. She was back in the black track suit, her wavy brown hair covering each gland on her neck. He was dressed in a white shirt with a navy-blue jacket with a collar that also covered his glands, and blue jeans with a brown belt

“About last night…” there was a silence, “Did you want to talk about it?”

“No,” she connected with his eyes, “Just know that I wasn’t at my best…” was all she could muster to say. Her apprehension was potent in the air remembering what happened.

He nodded and asked her, “Why did you come and find me at the church the other night?”

She replied, “I followed your scent.”

He laughed, “I know that, what I meant is **why** did you come and look for me? Weren’t you sleeping?”

She looked uncomfortable with that question, “I…” she stammered “I woke up and the sun had just set… and… I just didn’t want to be alone. I could smell you, and I just didn’t trust this place,” she paused and clenched her jaw and said, “You said you wouldn’t leave here without me.” 

They faced each other, he stepped closer to her, eyes softly taking her in, “Did you think I was going away… and not coming back?”

She looked sad and looked down, silent “Yes.”

“I said I was going to see you tomorrow.”

She clenched her jaw, “Well, things changed so much since the hatch… I just… needed to… see you,” she blinked.

He nodded, satisfied with the answer and they stepped off the elevator, both started walking again.

They grabbed breakfast and sat down at one of the tables together.

“There’s something that’s been on my mind since it happened – not to bring back painful memories,” he cleared his throat and paused. Becky started to sweat, worry entering her mind. “At the apartment, before the police took me away… and last night when you were about to fall asleep… You called me… Alpha…” he stared at her studying her carefully.

Her face twitched for a second, “I... I don’t remember that,” she was just as bad of a liar as he was.

He didn’t want to push it, he could tell she was uncomfortable with it, so he changed the subject.

“I had some time to think about Tony’s offer, I think I’m gonna go for it. I wanna serve again,” he said turning to her, looking for her reaction.

She looked at him worried, “Are you up for battles? The world has changed and not always for the better…” she said ominously. They both got up from the table to put their trays away.

“It would be good to have a job,” he looked at her with a grin on his face.

“So eager to work all of sudden?” The pitch of her voice a bit higher than before.

“I want to take you out.” He said pushing his lips together, almost in regret. “How can I take you out without any money in my pocket?” his eyes were shining. Her heart skipped a beat, “_What on earth was he saying?” _She looked at him wide-eyed.

“So, do you have plans for tonight?” he pushed the words out of him before he lost his nerve.

She nodded, “Yes,” she said sarcastically, “I was thinking about going out to purchase a couple of bottles of wine, bring it home, have a bubble bath…” Steve seemed interested in that idea, “and… drown my sorrows… and then maybe just drown in the tub.”

“That’s not funny,” he said with a sharp tone.

“I wasn’t laughing,” she was halfway turned around to walk away when he grabbed her by the arm. She looked at his hand and back at his face. Flashes from last night entered her mind. She could see why what she just said made him upset, she felt apologetic about that.

He looked at her seriously, “I don’t want anything bad happening to you.” He was getting protective of her again, he took a breath in and let go of her arm, “I think staying in isn’t good for us, maybe we both need to get out more,” his expression softening.

She looked up at him softly, “I agree,” bringing her arm slowly back to her side, staring him down.

He gulped nervously trying to steady his voice, “How about… I take you out… I saw an Italian restaurant when I was on my run; it was around since before I was in the ice.” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, and a smile started to come to her face. “I remember it being good, I knew the grandfather, the grandson runs it now.”

She blinked at him, registering what he was trying to say. All he was hearing was silence from her, and it was making him uneasy.

“You can have all the wine you want…” he threw out there.

She coxed an eyebrow… “Really? Would I be the only one drinking? I heard it’s not good to drink alone,” she said with a hint of flirtation in her voice. “_Steve was sweet when he was awkward_” she thought.

“You won’t be alone. I just can’t get drunk, so if you want a bottle – you can have it all to yourself. Alcohol doesn’t work on me.”

She laughed, “Well,” she paused, “It definitely works on me…” she looked back up at him and her look made him shiver in delight. “It’s just,” she paused, “because of what’s going on inside me… things like last night,” she looked down at her feet and pressed her lips together, “You may see some really ugly sides to me.”

“Then, maybe just have a glass… or just avoid it all together and save it for when you’re in a happier place,” he smiled.

She looked up at him suggestively, and slightly shook her head with a grin growing on her face, “You really are such a gentleman… I really like that…” the last part done in a whisper.

His heart quivered, and he wanted to bite his lip, but he knew she would see, so he refrained. Keeping it cool was not his forte, but he didn’t want to look stupid. He swallowed to keep himself from saying anything else that could make things get heavier. “So, Martino’s at 5th and 34th at 7 pm tonight?

“That could work, I will be out already with Mr. Finelli for the afternoon, so I could travel and meet you there,” she smiled.

“So…” his breath became quick, he was losing his nerve, “Does this mean… We’re… going out on our first date tonight?”

He was so old fashioned, and straight forward and sweet. She saw his eyes, so vulnerable, so hopeful, and so kind, and almost happy – just waiting for her response. It was so early, just a couple of days since her beloved David died. Not even his funeral yet. She frowned and politely said, “Well…” She hesitated “We’ll see how the night goes,” her smile dissipating and turning into a frown. Her breath falling out of her as her nerves increased. She felt guilt from even entertaining this idea, “_What am I doing?”_ she thought. Then flash, a picture of David, her hands cupping his face in the apartment, blood everywhere. _“It’s ALL your fault! You don’t deserve to be happy!”_ The thoughts shook her even physically, she had to catch her breath.

“Becky,” he caught onto her facial expressions, “Are you alright?” he said concerned, _“Ah, I hope I didn’t blow it.”_

“Don’t you think this is a little too soon?” she said slowly.

He nodded slightly thinking about it again, “Alright, you’re right. I’m sorry,” remorseful of how he had sounded, “Will it take the pressure off if we just go as friends then?”

“Yes, that would help… a lot actually,” she pressed her lips together and forced a grin. The guilt she felt was too real.

She got ready to leave to go upstairs and meet with Mr. Finelli.

He looked at her with a caring expression on his face, “I just don’t want you drowning anywhere,” as she paused to glance at him. His eyes were soft, and he was slowly melting her heart, though she didn’t want to admit it to herself.

She looked back over her shoulder at him as she walked away, “I’ll try not to,’’ small smile appearing on her face.

* * *

Just after lunch, Becky stepped off the elevator, the doors closed behind her. Tony had his back to her, sparks flying as he was wearing a mask and using a blow torch working on an Iron Man suit. Steve was in his own suit testing out the commlink modifications to see if F.R.I.D.A.Y and J.A.R.V.I.S could properly connect. She smiled seeing the boys playing with their toys. She had never seen Steve in his Captain America suit in person before, only in textbooks from high school in history class, here he was in the flesh and he looked REALLY good in it. She could start to feel her face getting hot. She thought she would stand there and see how long it would take for them to notice she was there, a grin on her face.

Steve tapped the side of his mask, “Tony, it keeps cutting out. It’s hard to hear what J.A.R.V.I.S is saying.” He took off his helmet and his hair came out in all different directions. She narrowed her eyes at it and grinned. He looked really cute, even looked good with short blonde helmet head, his hair almost looked fuzzy. Steve was giving the helmet over to Tony to fix, after a moment Steve started sniffing… He could smell her. She grinned again, that was her que.

“Hello Gentlemen,” she said walking forward and walking down the steps to their workshop. “I thought I would come down and say hello. What are you guys up to?”

The sound of her voice made Steve feel butterflies in his stomach; a smile came to his face. Tony turned around and took off his welding helmet. They were both surprised to see her here today.

“Tony’s making modifications to my suit,” he smiled while pushing his wide chest out. It was very noticeable; he had no game and she loved it.

Tony turned to look back at him and him saw puffing up his chest. Tony rolled his eyes, “To BOTH our suits,” he sounded annoyed.

Becky grinned suppressing a laugh and looked away briefly to get her bearings.

“You know Becky… if you come on board, I can get you a nice Iron Man suit, make it any colours you want.” She raised both eyebrows at him, “You’ll be able to fly, and be super strong like Steve and I.” She grinned, Tony knew he was onto something she liked, no answer but she didn’t object, she looked at the prototypes on display on the walls. The wheels were turning in her head, but nothing. “Ok… Which suit do you like better? Mine or his?” pointing back at Steve with his thumb.

She laughed, and put both her hands up in the air, “Ahh, I’m not choosing any suits…” He kept egging her on. “Ok, both! How about that?” still laughing. Steve loved to watch her like this, she didn’t know what to do, she hadn’t fully smiled like that since she came out of the hatch with him, her dimples were showing again. It was contagious, he couldn’t help but laugh as well.

“Oh, I also have to tell you little missy, Stark Industries has an annual company Christmas party where everyone get’s decked out for the holidays and has a fantastic time, annnnnnd... a New Years Eve party… best place to be in all of New York…The view of Times square and the ball dropping, the countdown, it’s fabulous! Everyone has a good time! Maybe YOU would get an invite if you were an employee!” he raised his eyebrows.

“Can’t she be my plus one?” Steve called out from behind Tony.

Tony sighed rolling his eyes again and turning towards him, “You’re not suppose to say that!” 

She grinned and then smiled at Tony, he looked back at her and saw the grin, “I’m onto something… are you a party animal?”

“Hahaha, no! Far from it… Though, I think I do need to let loose.” She looked over at Steve, smile still on her face, “Steve I’m going to be meeting in the afternoon with Mr. Finelli, once you’re done for the day with Tony. Go up and talk to him because he also wants to hear your story. He’s building us a case. So, I’m really happy about that.”

Steve nodded, “Yeah, sure thing.”

“Ok,” a big smile came to her face, “Then I’ll see you tonight then,” her voice slightly higher pitched for the last few words. She gave him a small wave goodbye, turned around and gave Tony a nod and a smile and left the room.

After she left, Tony glanced over at Steve, “So, you’re taking her out to eat tonight?”

“Yeah?” he responded kinda suspicious.

“Today’s your second day, you haven’t even made your first paycheck yet. How are you gonna do that, by washing dishes?” He said in a condescending tone, looking at him with a smug grin on his face.

Steve raised both of his eyebrows, “_two can play this game”_ he thought. “Yeah, well – truth be told,” he leaned in closer to Tony and whispered, “She actually asked to take me out.” Tony’s smug grin turned into one of shock. He loved the look on Tony’s face. “I also know the guy’s family who owns the place, and he said, “Captain America and his date can eat there anytime,””. Steve smirked and padded Tony’s shoulder, turned around and started walking out the door, “Now…if you’d excuse me. I’m getting ready for a date.”

Tony smiled and shook his head, typing on the keyboard.

* * *

Becky made it to Martino’s earlier than she thought she would since the meeting with Mr. Finelli adjourned early. She still had intrusive thoughts of David entering her mind and numbness crept into her heart while she traveled, then it would wear off and tears would fall. Riding the waves of grief was never an easy thing for anyone, but she was doing her best.

She got seated and waited at the table, and took out her phone. She called Steve, but it went to voicemail, so she left a message, “_Hey Steve, it’s Becky. I’m a bit early, so I went to the restaurant and got us a table. So just look for me when you get here. I hope your meeting with Mr. Finelli goes well today. See ya, bye.”_

Even though she was a bit early, she was happy to be sitting down finally after walking so long. She looked up at all the decorations and multicoloured lights strung up near the ceilings and the outlines of the windows. She loved this time of year. It was so pretty and kind of romantic in there, the warm lighting, the smell of the food was delicious, she wondered how good it would taste. Her thoughts drifted to the idea that it looks like this year would be the first she would be without her parents. “_They must think I’m dead,_” the thought made her frown in sadness as she missed them very much. They were good people and she didn’t know how much she would miss them until she couldn’t talk to them anymore.

Then one of the servers approached her and said, “Excuse me ma’am, is your name Becky Morrison?”

“Yes, it is…” she was surprised.

“There’s a guy waiting outside, in the back for you,” she said.

“Oh,” she looked behind her in that direction and back at the server, “Was his name Steve?” she asked.

“Ahh…” the server paused trying to remember, “He didn’t tell me his name ma’am.”

“Well, what did he look like? Blonde hair? Blue eyes?” she inquired further.

“Yeah!” she replied.

“Oh ok, thank you for telling me.” She got up and grabbed her stuff and headed out to the back to see what was going on. When she exited out the back doors into the cool night air; it led her to a dark and wet alley. She could see her breath, the moonlight painted everything with a tinge of blue. It was quiet. She observed her surroundings, but no one was there…Then she smelled something… something… distinctive… What could only be decoded or translated in her brain as different.

“I couldn’t wait to FINALLY meet you,” said a spine-chilling male voice from a few feet behind her. “_How could she not see him?”_ she thought. She spun around in fear and stared into the darkness where the voice was coming from. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness some more, and she could see an outline of someone sitting on a crate in the shadows. There was a wooden shelter above him, that had a few tiny cracks in it, letting shards of the moonlight through.

She held her breath as he stood up and started menacingly slowly walking in her direction. His pale face almost looked as if he were a vampire, his eyes were definitely blue, but not the same loving blue eyes Steve had – this was an icy blue, a cold and unfeeling, calculating type…a threatening type.

She started backing away after he stood up. He was tall like Steve, much taller and bigger than herself, no other features visible – just the darkness and the icy eyes from his pale face staring her down, and coming closer to her, no words spoken between them.

Then sniffing noises… “Mmmmm… You smell good… Is that what a warm, alive Omega smells like?” She could now see teeth, icy eyes and shining teeth coming closer until he fully stepped into the light. He had shoulder length blonde hair, an unkept beard, dirt underneath his fingernails. He looked unhinged and crazed. He looked like a monster to her.

He leaped at her at lightening speed and pinned her back against the brick wall of the building and started sniffing her hair, his body pushing on her, he put his mouth a few millimeters from her ear, “If you scream, I will kill you on the spot. I’ve done it before, I don’t care.” He paused and placed his face in front of her’s, “I do what I want, when I want, with whomever I want.” Their noses were touching, spit coming out onto her face as he spoke.

She was so disgusted and afraid she turned her head to get away and get him out of her field of vision, accidentally exposing her pheromone gland on her neck to him… He froze in his tracks for a couple of seconds and he rested his nose right on her gland and fully inhaled her scent… It was painful as the gland was very sensitive, she whimpered and winced in pain, “Ahhhhh… such a sweet Omega.” Chilling, venomous, cold blue eyes staring back at her “Beautiful Omega.”

* * *

Steve was running late, questions with Mr. Finelli went longer than he expected and he wanted to freshen up and change before he went out the meet Becky. He was in the bathroom washing his face in the mirror thinking about how happy he was to put Tony in his place, then all of a sudden, his gland on his neck was in pain…then he saw a flash of Becky and a feeling that unsettled him very much. He frowned; something was wrong. He checked his voicemail, something he learned how to do yesterday and heard her message, still it didn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

He remembered how on the beach, when he scratched his gland how she reacted, like she was in pain. _“Maybe… we’re… connected… somehow”_ he thought. He was nervous now. He grabbed his stuff and left and ran to the restaurant full throttle.

* * *

“Beautiful Omega… I knew when Fury first showed me your picture that I had to have you.” Her stomach was churning, panic coursing through her veins. Then he nestled his head into her shoulder for a moment and turned back to look into her eyes, his icy blue eyes somehow looked like they were on fire, “How Mr. Steve Rogers has not taken you for himself yet is beyond me… I know what I would do...” his lips curled as he said that last statement. “You’re coming with me Omega,” he threw her over his shoulder and threw her in the back of his white van, he dove in with her and slammed the back door.

Darkness consumed all her vision; he was behind her… but on her body, “Behave Omega. Submit to me Omega, if you want to see your Steve again.” He tied her hands behind her back with a rope. She whimpered. “Oh…little Omega, is that rope hard on your glands?” he said in a mocking tone, then he leaned into her ear, “Too bad,” his eyes on fire again, anger rising in his voice, she started kicking “Stop resisting Omega!’ He punched her in the face.

“Ahhh…” she gasped, there was a high-pitched ringing in her ears, she tasted copper. She couldn’t see properly after the impact – just stars flying around and darkness, she couldn’t speak, and he tied her feet together.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my work, it means a lot to me.
> 
> This chapter was difficult for me to write. It's creepy in some ways because of what happens, but I hope you enjoy the twists and turns and the characters and enjoying the story so far.

Steve ran as fast as he could to Martino’s, on the way Steve started to get a strong headache, something the serum was suppose to ward off. His gut was still telling him that something was wrong, he would only rest when he knew for sure that everything was alright. Once inside the restaurant he followed Becky’s scent to the table she was sitting at. At this point, there were other people sitting there now looking at him strangely as he was sniffing the air.

He didn’t care, he rushed through and he didn’t see her anywhere, and he scanned the restaurant twice. She said she would be there waiting for him and she wasn’t, real worry, not speculation, entered his heart now. There were so many smells that her scent was sort of muffled until he followed it to the back. He went down the hallway, passed the kitchen staff and burst out the back doorway into the dark alley. Her scent was there, along with…_ “along with?_” … It dawned on him. He picked up his phone, “Tony, it’s Steve. Becky has been kidnapped! Trust me, if it’s what I think it is, it’s bad Tony.” He started running, “Get my suit and shield. I’m going to track her scent. Log onto my position wherever it takes me. Be in communication with me.”

“Cap, you know how you wanted more information on Nick Fury, and eugenics?”

“Yeah,” he panted, as his headache got worse.

“Well, there’s no assignments from the military granting Fury access or permission to be doing those experiments. It looks like Nick Fury is a rogue on that. Not to mention, it’s illegal, against many basic human rights. I could see why Becky wanted to get on this with Mr. Finelli.”

“Well, that’s good, but we gotta get Becky back first, we’ll deal with this later.”

“Steve, there’s something else…” he said ominously.

“What is it, Tony?”

He sighed, “In Becky’s file… while she was in the military… She launched a complaint against her commanding officer… for multiple counts of sexual harassment and rape,” he said with a frown.

“What?!” he frowned in disbelief.

“Yeah,” he said while gathering Steve’s equipment and putting on his iron suit. “And to make matters worse, I read how they dealt with things back then was to go through their chain of command.”

He scoffed, “Kinda hard to get him to stop if he’s your commanding officer…”

“Exactly,” he sighed, “To make matters worse, she did go over his head to the higher ups in the military and got the Military Police involved. They didn’t believe her, not enough proof, and labeled her a trouble maker, saying she made up the whole thing and gave her “disciplinary duties” …Whatever that means. After she got back from her tour overseas, she left. There’s nothing else in her file, nothing.”

Steve grit his teeth, anger seeping into his bones, “We gotta get her back.”

“Steve, I’m calling the Feds as well on this…”

“Good idea, keep a lock on my position and keep me in the loop,” he said running.

* * *

Becky looked around the van and saw mainly darkness, red lights came through the windshield illuminating the space from the back lights of the vehicles on the street. Through the red lights she saw a woman laying next to her in what looked to be a black body bag. The woman had curly hair. Becky gasped as the van moved and so did the woman, turning her head towards Becky. After her eyes adjusted, she found that she could see her face as the silver zipper was down all the way to her shoulders.

Her eyes were open and so was her mouth. She knew those eyes, a flashback played in her mind seeing David and the woman behind him with the baby bump. Those same green eyes, though her face had a tinge of grey, it was unmistakable, this was his murderer. She was terrified! She looked down to her neck and realized something more shocking, she had the same glands on her neck that she did! She was an OMEGA! Becky was even more terrified now; this was what he meant when he questioned how she smelled to him in the alley.

Then something shiny glimmered out of the side of her mouth… Becky went wide eyed realizing it was seamen. Her stomach churned and she squeezed her eyes shut as a feeling of doom fell over her. He was vile, he was crazy, and he did not care about anyone but himself clearly. There’s no negotiating with a man like this. _“I will be dead like this woman here… unless I can get out of here…” _ her thoughts trailed off as reality hit her.

Moments… her moments… flashed before her eyes… both good and bad played… childhood with her parents, high school with her friends and sports clubs, young adulthood going into college, meeting Davy, then going into the military, serving overseas and her thoughts faded to black trying to block everything else out. A sadness crept into her heart, this might be her last night of her life, and she never had a chance to say goodbye to anyone she loved. Not her parents, not to Davy, not to… Steve…

She opened her eyes again to see the dead woman in front of her… her eyes still open, eyes starting to deteriorate and rot, seamen leaking out of the side of her mouth, a smell of rotting flesh invading Becky’s nose… and a rage… a rage she only felt after her own trials with men. “_This is the outcome… This is your outcome…_ _Don’t let him… Don’t let him win”._ A fire lit in her belly as she kept staring at this woman’s face, picturing herself as her, _“I think… I forgive this woman… for killing Davy… either she got what she deserved… or she was stuck in a bad situation like myself right now dealing with people like this.”_ And her heart let go of her sadness with a sense of release, what’s done is done, right now what really mattered is getting out of here alive.

She closed her eyes and prayed for the woman’s soul and for her own, praying that she could be rescued. Praying she could be spared somehow. Her head still ached from the punch he gave her, the taste of copper after impact was proof enough for her that she suffered a concussion, just how severe is unknown. “_Steeeve…” _was all she could think, but it came out as a moan, drawing the attention of her crazed driver.

“Omega… are you feeling your heat yet? Moan for me again…” he said looking in the rear window.

No sound came from her, he grunted in agitation and looked out at the trail of red lights in front of him. He licked his lips and looked back at her through the mirror again. “I hope you don’t mind,” he said softly, which surprised her, “I hope you’re not jealous that I used her first.”

Becky’s eyes still closed, she scrunched her eyebrows together, “_What the fuck is he talking about?”_ she thought, but stayed quiet even though her rage was building.

“I was getting used to my new Alpha body,” he was sounding apologetic, “And… I was really excited to have something to play with,” he said with a deranged smile. “I’ve never been so tall and in such good shape before in my life… My cock grew larger, as did my drive...” he looked at her in the back looking for a reaction. “I felt like a king, so… powerful…” he paused and looked at the traffic and made a turn, “Fury explained to me that Alphas and Omegas belong together. That you’ll give me good, smart, good looking pups… and that…You’ll start to crave me.”

Immediately she opened her eyes, and a sneer contorted her face. She wanted to murder him. He couldn’t see it, but the rage was making her blood boil. Her face was getting hot, she could feel it turning red. She was getting fed up, and her heart was going numb. If she had a gun, she would shoot him right in the head, she didn’t care if he’d crash the van, it’s better than having HIM in control. She kept staring at this woman’s face and her mind could almost exchange it with her own if something didn’t happen soon. She needed to find a way, emotion won’t save her, _“Remember, level heads prevail. Keep calm and think...focus Becky!”_

Then, the lights from the road dissipated, it was dark again, and he slowed down and made more turns until he finally stopped and parked the van. He got out and slammed the door. It was eerily quiet now. Then she could hear his footsteps walking to the back of the van. Becky started to sweat, the safest she was going to be had already passed, and now… Anything could happen with this psychopath.

Then he opened one of the doors on the body’s side, there was a strong light coming in from behind him. She looked outside and saw that they were under a bridge. No one in sight. He leaned in and grabbed the body in the bag. Unnerving, the way she bent over his body as he threw her over his shoulder. He walked over the brick wall a few feet away and threw her over into the water, she could hear the splash, she winced at the sound. He smiled, looking relieved. She tried not to breathe as he did have a scent of an Alpha, but she was also suppressing her heat. Her rage didn’t help in this manner either, so many emotions to fight all at once. Her headache was still there and she was in a weakened state, her will power was waning.

He looked back at her from the river, turned around and made the motion of washing his hands of her, “Hope you don’t mind the pit stop… Just had to ugh… Take out the trash!” he laughed.

_“Am I next?” _she thought to herself.

“Ahh, Omega, don’t look at me like thaaat… It was just some fun, I REALLY couldn’t wait to meet you.” He looked away and then back at Becky, “Not to disappoint you, but I am… a little sore from my “earlier fun” he pointed to the river, so I won’t be ready for you for a little while… Hopefully later on tonight,” icy eyes meeting hers as he started to approach the van again. He still had that same crazed look from when they were in the alley.

As he approached, fear struck her heart and she made a sound resembling one of a sad dog. He looked at her and put on a caring voice, “Omega… I didn’t mean to start us off on the wrong foot here…” he walked closer to the van. She was frightened and wished she never made a sound. He looked at her frustrated, “I want you to like me…I want this time to be… different… so much different than the other ones I’ve had… They always beg me to stop!”

She looked at him tears forming in her eyes _“What is he talking about?” _trying to tug at the rope at her wrists and feet, but it was no use, they were too tight and she couldn’t get away.

His expression was softer now, “They always beg me to stop. I just want someone to love me… I just want… to be begged NOT to stop…This longing…” he pointed to himself. Then he stopped and stared at her coldly, “If you play your cards right, I think we could have something… really special,” Venomous eyes, cold to the bone blue.

She looked at him confused.

“Fury told me what this girl did to your fiancée.” He paused and got so close to her face that she could taste his sour breath all the way to the back of her throat, “I wanted to please you… You should thank me! I did you a favour! She deserved it! All of it!” resentment in his voice, his eyes were still icy.

_“No one… deserves… this,”_ she thought, her eyes halfway open. Her head hurt so much and the lights behind him in the background made it harder to see.

Becky felt her blood pressure go up, goosebumps on her skin, as the cold air hit her. He was standing in front of the open door still face to face. “I know you’re scared. I can smell it on youuu….” He let out a soft moan, “You will crave me, Omega!”. Becky felt a cloud of doom above her. “You… Will… Crave… Me… It may not happen right away, but your body will react to me.” She winced at the thought. “Your mind and heart may not be in it yet… but it doesn’t matter… Your body will betray them. You know why? … It’s because I have you.” Becky was starting to break down, tears coming down her face, “Ohhh, shhh… Wouldn’t it just be soooo much easier? So much easier, if you gave into me?” Then he leaned down and slowly stuck out his tongue. She grimaced in horror, her skin crawled as he willfully licked the side of her face slowly from her jaw up to her forehead. Wet and warm and vile.

He was about to pull away when his nose caught a scent, “Ohhh,” he smiled from ear to ear “Omega!”, his cold eyes sparkled, teeth shiny with a wicked smile, “I can smell you…” his happy look turned into more a crazed look, “You’re… Hahahaha…You’re starting your first heat, aren’t you? Was it because I licked you? Tell me how good it felt!”

She still couldn’t speak, the punch to her head from earlier still left her this way. Her lack of response in that moment irritated him.

“Omega!” he grabbed her by the chin, their foreheads touched. “I’m talking to you.” She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out of it, just mouthing lips. They locked eyes, he was angry inside, it came through in his expression. Then he put his mouth on her lips, his tongue invaded her mouth. He tasted revolting to her, but she involuntarily whimpered. She cursed herself for doing so, he moaned and bit her bottom lip. She could feel herself getting wet. Then he broke the kiss.

He was breathing heavily, “Your smell… it’s coming from between your legs.” He looked down at the rest of her body, “It’s driving me crazy.” Then he looked at her, “As much as I love to see you bound and tied, like a good little girl, I still have to take you to see Fury… Then we can have a little more, one on one time.” Then he slammed the door in her face and he got in the driver’s seat and started moving. Tears streaming down her face, she could not see a way out of this one. She was completely at his mercy.

* * *

“Steve, I’ve been on the phone with the Feds.” Tony sighed, worry in his voice… He could barely get the words out. “It’s worse than we thought. The Feds, they were looking at security footage from earlier today from neighbouring businesses outside the restaurant, and they got a description of the vehicle – a very very common white van with no letters on it.”

“There’s so many of those here in New York!” he responded.

“I know,” Tony paused, “The Feds also did a facial recognition scan on the face of the guy who took her…” Steve gulped as Tony paused again, “It’s Jesse Hughes – a convicted felon, he terrorized our streets years ago, raping more than 20 women, killing them, chopping half of them into pieces, and dumping them into the Hudson River,” His voice trailing off from the commlink.

Steve’s mind went into slow motion as he was running, _“What did he say…?” _His breath hitched, and tears started to appear in his eyes as he realized that he was running exactly into that direction. Horror and numbness came over his body, “Let me call you back Tony, I’m approaching the river as we speak,” he said worried.

Steve tracked her scent to the Hudson River, the closer he got to it, the more a growing sense of doom entered his mind. _“Please… Don’t let her be dead!”_ then a rage filled him, he grimaced at the thought of someone laying hands on her. It happened before, such a wonderful person she was to him, why would anyone do that to her? There’s never a good enough reason to do that to anybody. He ran down some icier terrain, careful not to slip till he came to a brick wall.

He could smell multiple scents; the wind was blowing and the scents were dissipating. He had to work fast. He hesitated; he could definitely smell what could only be translated in his brain as an “Omega” scent. He turned his face to the brick wall, behind it, the river. He held his breath; his body went cold. _“Becky…”_ he was afraid to look over the wall, afraid of what he might see. He slowly walked over to the ledge and peered over, the cold water ran fast, it was loud, he scanned the shore and saw a big black object further down the river that stuck to the side.

Steve raced over there as fast as he could, the scent of “Omega” getting stronger, panic going through his system mixed with rage. He trekked through the icy uneven ground and crouched down and picked up the cold, heavy, bag. Inside he saw a woman with green eyes open looking at him, dead. His eyes teared up, half relieved it wasn’t Becky and half sad at the circumstance. As he looked down his eyes widened to see the exact same glands on her neck that he himself and Becky have. He gasped and put the body down and ran back to the brick wall, Becky’s scent was completely gone now. _“Nooo!!!” _ his mind screamed.

He reached for his phone and called Tony back.

“What happened, Rogers?” Tony said anxiously.

“I followed the scent, I found a woman who has the same glands as both Becky and I do, she’s dead, her body was dumped in the Hudson River. Call the Feds,” he gulped holding back pain in his heart. “I’ve totally lost Becky’s scent. She’s in real danger.”

He could smell the other Alpha, and he was starting to get really pissed off about it. _“When I find you…”_ he couldn’t finish the thought as flashes of Becky started to play in his head. One of her giving back the compass to him in the church, then eating food in her room at Stark Tower, him jumping onto her balcony to save her and putting her back in bed, her making the MRE’s in the hatch, then her smiling at him. _“No! Focus!” _ Frustrated as he had completely lost her scent at this point. “Omega is in danger,” said the primal voice deep inside him. His heart ached and he grimaced as anger rose inside him.

Then a flash came into his mind, he closed his eyes and he could see her face. She was in a dark setting, she was tied up, her eyes half open… Head hurting, her lips quivering in fear. She was looking up at him, “Steeeve,” she said. Steve wasn’t sure if it was his imagination with the information they already gathered or an actual attempt at a connection. He opened his eyes and he couldn’t see her anymore… just the city and the night. His face turned red, getting hot, his hands clenched in fists.

“Steve,” said Tony, his voice rough through the connection, “The Feds are heading over to the building where Fury is. I’m thinking that’s the best lead we’ve got. I’m flying over the city as we speak. I’ll pick you up and we’ll fly there.” Steve lifted his eyes to the night sky, looking in the direction Tony would be flying in from. “It’s the fastest way. I’ll be at your location in 2 minutes, wait there for me!”

“Let’s go get this son of a bitch!” his face went serious; his focus came back. _“Hang in there Becky, I’m coming for you.”_


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is such a pleasure to be able to write this story for you, and I'm really happy to be able to make two updates for you in one day. 
> 
> Hopefully I will have another chapter up by the weekend. I hope you are enjoying this story. Please feel free to leave a Kudos or comment. I really love these characters, I find even going through my daily life I am listening to songs on the radio and I'm thinking, "This song reminds me of them". I don't know if anyone can relate, fellow writers? LOL! 
> 
> Thank you again for taking the time out of your day to read my work, I am super grateful for that. Hope you all are having a fantastic day :) Lots of love as always :)

Daylight shone through the newly turned autumn leaves. David and Becky were on a date, walking along their old college campus taking a trip down memory lane at their old campus where they met. It was a warm day and there was a cool breeze in the air.

They sat down on a bench overlooking a beautiful courtyard with flowers, red cobblestones and a shining blue lake at the back. Becky turned to him, staring at his beautiful green eyes, “I’m afraid of how I will react if you hold my hand…” she looked to him for guidance… vulnerable, fearful, and in need of love.

“Whenever you’re ready, it doesn’t even have to be today,” his eyes loving and his tone very patient and caring. “Whenever you’re ready.” He repeated. “Just to tell you ahead of time, what I’m going to do. I’m going to hold your hand and kiss the top of it, and bring it back down to the bench. If that’s ok?” He waited for her response.

“Yes!” she wanted to, “but I don’t know how I will react. Please don’t hold it against me!”

“Hold it against you? No.” he shook his head and smiled “That’s not how loving someone works.”

_“Loving someone?”_ she thought.

He picked her hand up and stopped and studied her face. She looked into his eyes and she tried to control her breathing… and he did exactly that – he kissed her hand and placed it back down on the bench and looked at her.

She was looking at her hand on the bench, processing for a few minutes, then looked up at him. Sunlight shining on him. A smile came to his face. Then a memory of Steve kissing the top of her hand after he saved her on the balcony played out in her mind.

Then everything went black again, she could hear faint sounds become more and more shrill. Footsteps coming closer to her. She opened her eyes, although her vision was a bit blurry, she was able to make out who was in front of her. It was Nick Fury.

“The sedative should be wearing off soon,” he said to Jesse, “Welcome back Becky Morrison. We had to sedate you, so you won’t know the location, you know how it is, how it goes.”

She cleared her throat, and she spoke for the first time since being punched, “My fiancée is dead. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?” she looked back up at him, rage coming back to her again. She realized she was tied to a chair, each foot spread apart and ankles tided to each leg of the chair and hands tied behind her back.

He looked at her very coldly, “He was dead the moment you mentioned you had a fiancée.”

This struck a final blow to her heart, had she not said anything about David he would still be alive today. He confirmed it, and now the rage and guilt turned in on herself, tears starting to form in her eyes, her spirit crushed.

Fury pulled up a chair and came close to her, “Now, I have to ask you a few questions before I hand you off to this gentleman over here,” his hand motioned in Jesse’s direction, “So, I would think very carefully about how you answer these questions.”

She had tears coming down her face, her brown hair was in a mess.

“Have you been in contact with Steve Rogers in the last 24 hours?” he looked at her.

“No,” she lied.

“Have you been experiencing symptoms of heat?”

She paused; she knew he already knew the answer. “Yes,” she replied.

“Have you and Steve Rogers been intimate?”

She took a deep breath through her nose, rage starting to fire up again, “No,” she replied.

“Any chance at all that you might be pregnant,’’ he looked at her face.

“No,” she replied.

He nodded, got off the chair and turned to Jesse, “Well, she’s all yours,” in the coldest voice he also added “Make sure you’re facing the camera, I want everything documented so it can be referenced for future research.” He turned to her and said “Thank you for your service, ma’am," and walked out the door.

* * *

A few moments later, Fury was in his office. He had a injected a substance into his arm, withdrew the needle, and then disposed of it. Then he wrapped up some last minute emails and was getting ready to leave when the door loudly burst open.

Inside came Captain America and Iron Man. Steve was irate.

“Where is she, Fury?!” Steve yelled.

“Who?” pretending he didn’t know anything.

“You know who! Becky!” getting more intense, as FBI agents came in guns drawn.

“She’s not here, Captain,” he replied.

“Stop lying! I can smell her; her scent is distinctive…and very potent right now.”

Fury smirked, “She’s in heat…” Steve’s eyes widened, “That’s why her smell is stronger than normal… Does it drive you crazy Captain Rogers…?”

Steve swallowed and looked him dead in the eye, “I don’t need you to take me to her! I can find her! You will pay for what you did to both of us Fury!”

He laughed, "We'll see now... Won't we..."

Steve ran through doors and broke them; her scent was the strongest he had ever inhaled. He felt stirrings in his chest and a rush of adrenaline. Her scent was having an affect on him. He ran through walls with his shield until he got to an open concept room where he saw Jesse Hughes and Becky. She was tied up to a chair, eyes half open and she was place in the corner of the huge room.

Jesse was in front of her, she had her head turned to the door trying not to look at Jesse, but instead heard the crash from Steve entering the room. She opened her eyes and saw him, he was in his Captain America suit and he was armed with his shield. When they made eye contact, she whispered enough for him to hear, “Steve”, and she whimpered.

To hear her say his name brought out an animal from inside him, the primal voice saying, “Omega needs you now!”. “You’re going to wish you hadn’t done that.” He said pointing to Jesse.

“Help me Alpha…” just like his dream and it made his blood boil, the protectiveness came out full throttle.

“Get your hands off her!” He yelled.

Jesse was not intimidated at all, he turned his full body to him unafraid and walked towards the middle of the room. He was just as tall and muscular as Steve, and not afraid to go toe to toe. Becky saw this behaviour, and thought about her guilt with David, “Steve, don’t do it. It’s not worth it”.

“She is mine… I don’t care if Captain America himself says I can’t.”

They both started swinging, fear raced through her veins. Becky knew neither one of them were going to back down. “_Just what exactly did Fury infuse Jesse with?”_ she thought.

They met each other’s punches and blocks. Emotions high, fighting was loud and echoed throughout the room. Becky looked harder behind the fight in the distance, at the outside the door and hole that Steve made when he came through the wall. She heard gun shots and fighting in the other room. “_Who else was here?”_ she thought hopefully.

Becky looked back down behind her at her rope around her wrists, trying to untie them and thought, _“If Steve didn’t come through the door just now… what would’ve happened to me?” _she didn’t want to complete that thought. Then she felt a sharp cramp in her abdomen and she let out a cry. The cry momentarily stopped both of them from fighting to look at her. She could feel the silence, even while she winced from pain, eyes closed shut.

“Becky...” Steve said, feeling things inside himself that he wasn’t used to. Wanting to do things he knew he shouldn’t. Her face, when he saw it now was all red, beads of sweat dripping down her glistening skin. Her smell was enough to drive him insane. Jesse was experiencing the same thing.

“Omega!” Jesse let escape from his lips.

She took a deep breath in and looked over at Jesse, eyes ablaze and full rage from the whole evening coming to a head, “My name…is…” She said quietly… “REBECCA!!!!!!!” she screamed so loud the sound made the walls vibrate.

This caused enough of a distraction for Steve to take down Jesse. They wrestled until the point of exhaustion, but somehow Jesse rolled out of his choke hold and started charging at him, no holding back. In a last-minute decision in self defense, Steve threw his shield at him and it got him by the throat with such force that he flew back into the wall only to have the shield detach his head from the rest of his body, blood spewing everywhere.

Steve gasped and looked over at Becky who’s face, neck and chest were drenched in sweat. She was panting now as the combination of her heat and adrenaline from the fight was taking its toll on her body “Ahhh…” she cried out again from another pain in her abdomen. Steve staggered over to her.

“Becky… Are you alright?” he finally got over to her corner on the other side of the room. He knelt down in front of her to untie her ankles to each of the legs of the chair when she noticed his hand movements slowed down and he looked up at her with darker blue eyes.

“Steve…” she called out to him. She saw him look down, his eyes resting between her legs. The way she was tide up, she had her legs spread. To make matters worse, she was wet with slick – for certain he could get a direct waft of her. Even with pants on. He looked at her centre, wanting her, the smell was making him lose will power. “Steven…” she said his full name he signed on the note when he left her dinner with flowers. “Untie me please… and…” he hung on her every word. “We will deal with this later… ok?”

He was breathless, and looked down and worked on the ankles until he heard a gun clock and Fury yell, “Fucking Omegas! You’re a lot more trouble than you’re worth!” Then Fury shot her with the gun, 2 shots all landing in her back and coming through her chest.

He saw the holes emerge through her and blood pouring out. Steve howled, the sound came out as his heart broke and rage settled in. “Nooo!” Steve screamed as he grabbed his shield and tackled down Fury. The FBI agents and Iron Man came through the entrance way. Tony saw Becky out of the chair, now on the floor bleeding out. He flew and rushed over to pick her up off the ground.

_“Alpha!” _she could barely think.

“Steve, I’m taking her back to the Stark Tower lab. Meet me there. Pepper, call 911 and get as much medical staff we have in the building to the lab. Becky’s been shot.” He jumped out of the window of the sky scraper, smashing it into glass particles, curving his body to protect Becky’s skin. He turned on his jets and flew over through the thick snowfall. She was hot to the touch and the wind helped stabilize her temperature. “J.A.R.V.I.S open up one of the windows for the lab floor, I’m coming in. Get the Nano machines ready for medical procedures to fixing internal bleeding.”

“Acknowledged,” said J.A.R.V.I.S

Becky could see the city and knew she was traveling a high speed. She turned her head and saw the Iron Man mask. She knew if that was the case, then she was in a lot of trouble. “Tony,” was all she could say between coughing up blood.

“Hang on there Little Missy, we won’t be long,” he said trying to comfort her.

When they arrived at Stark Tower, Tony rushed to put her on a table and get the nano machines into her as soon as possible, injecting them next to the bullet wound. Every second counts.

“Tony, don’t let me die,” She looked at him desperate, “Tony, don’t let Steve see this,” she coughed up more blood to the point she wasn’t able to talk anymore.

“You worry about not dying, and I’ll worry about Steve!” he yelled trying to keep focus. Tony was scared. “Pepper, get doctors up here immediately, it’s just me here. I need help!”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to read my work, it really means a lot to me. Please feel free to comment or leave a kudos. It really makes me happy to know that people are enjoying this story.
> 
> I had dreams about this chapter, once I started re-reading what I wrote down I ugly cried a few times, so just a warning. I wrote the main points down on paper at a Tim Horton's and I was trying to not cry - people were staring at me lol.
> 
> I'm really attached to these characters and writing this particular story has given me so much joy. I hope you find it entertaining and takes you to another place in your imaginations :)
> 
> Lots of love and happy Canadian Thanksgiving :)

Tony was frantic, moving fast, gathering the tubes and nano machines. Pepper came in to help and started applying pressure to the wounds to help slow the blood loss. There was yelling as more medical staff entered the room and started to work on her body. She started to feel light headed, and the voices started to sound like they were far away, almost like talking through a tube, with an echo like feature to them. She started to feel weakened, and her vision lost the ability to see colour, it was more of a black and white movie, and then a sharp ringing in her ear got louder and louder as her vision got darker and darker. Her breathing became harder, shorter and shorter breaths until she could do nothing, but finally surrender.

Then something different happened that she did not expect. She was now looking at the table, looking at herself laying there, blood everywhere… seeing her own wounds, everything happening in real time. Everyone in the room urgently moving around, following their conversations as if she were a fly on the wall. Then she noticed that she started floating backwards, away from her body as if being pulled back, she couldn’t fight it.

She kept floating backwards watching everything unfold and getting further and further away from her body, questioning if this is really happening, feeling no pain anymore, only just… seeing. Then she floated through the wall of the room she was in, then through the glass of the building itself, into the night air, but she could not feel the cold of the wind blowing onto her skin as she knew she should have. She looked down at the streets below to see Steve, he was running as fast as he could to enter the building. He was still in his suit, shield on his left arm. She felt a great sadness come over her, thinking about how worried he must be. 

She slowly floated higher into the sky, seeing more of the city block, then the entire city… “_What’s happening here? I have no control,”_ she thought as she still continued floating, no chill of the wind, no pain, it made no sense. _“Am I dying?”_ she thought as she saw all the lights shining through the night on the eastern seaboard. Further and further back she was pulled, all the way until out of the world’s atmosphere where she could see the earth, the moon, the stars. She turned around to stare off at the solar system… the light of the stars against the vast darkness of space.

There was no noise, no temperature, she couldn’t feel anything. Frantic for a split second thinking she won’t be able to breathe, to realize… she didn’t need air. She looked into the vastness of the solar system and saw something in the distance coming toward her, she couldn’t make out what it was. She must have been dreaming, she thought. It came closer. She normally would’ve been panicked, but she couldn’t take her eyes off this object. They were like magnets pulling towards each other from afar, the closer they came to each other, the speed at which they were attracted to one another increased. She feared they were going to collide.

Once it was close enough, should could make out the shape to be one of a man. Even closer now, her heart nearly fell out of her chest… She must have been dreaming. It was David. Her beloved David! She opened her arms and she landed into his, now just slowly floating into him. Their environment started to change upon embracing each other. Stars were everywhere, the moon shone brighter, and out of nowhere, pink and white cherry blossoms started falling from above them as if they were snowflakes and landing and rolling off their faces.

She was speechless, which was really a rarity for her. She stared at him; she was holding onto him tightly in her arms. He was dressed in the same clothes she saw him in before he died. No injuries to his body, just him… It was really him. His gorgeous, loving green eyes. The same man she had known and loved for many, many years. They stared at each other for a long time, until he finally spoke.

“Hi Rebecca,” he smiled, she whimpered remembering the sound of his voice. “It’s me.”

She felt her eyes well up with tears, “David?” she sobbed.

“Yes, it’s me baby girl,” his smile got wider.

“Oh, Davy...” tears in her eyes, “Am I dreaming? Are you real? Is this really real? Are you here?”

“I am here, my love,” he smiled happy and calm as she looked around and analyzed the environment. It was quiet, they were floating above the earth, among the stars and the black of the galaxies. It was magical, like time didn’t matter, like nothing else mattered.

“Where are we?” She asked, her hair started to spread behind her head and float as if it were under water.

He looked around at the stars and looked back at her and smiled, “We’re in a place called, “The In Between,” he paused “Not quite gone, not quite here.” He stopped, “There’s elements of both worlds here. That’s why you see the earth, that’s why the flowers, and that’s why I am able to communicate with you and you can see me,” he smiled warmly.

“See you?” she grabbed onto his clothes and pressed their bodies together. “I can FEEL you,” she looked at him desperate.

“Yeah,” his smile faded, “Your body…” he sighed, “It’s pretty banged up.” They looked into each other’s eyes, both of them with sadness in them. “You took 2 shots to the chest.” He looked at her with sad eyes and cupped her face with both hands. She could feel his soft skin meet her’s, she closed her eyes as it soothed her.

“My heart… is falling… into you,” she whispered. A small smile came to her face.

“Yes, mine is too.” He responded in such a gentle voice. This was indeed the David she’s always known. “I didn’t like how things ended between us. My heart was left in sorrow," he said to her softly.

He proceeded to tell her what happened the day he died. He was about to make himself some food in the kitchen and was slicing up some vegetables, “I had the kitchen window open when a woman came through it. She looked to be in the early stages of pregnancy, so I thought I would take it easy on her because I thought she was desperate for food or cash. She was pointing a gun at me and shaking, she looked scared. I told her, it’s alright, I’m not going to call the cops. I told her I was just making some food and asked if she was hungry, I could make her something. Times were tough for everyone.”

Becky started to cry, “Yeah… That… Sounds like something you would do…” she said shaking her head and tears streaming down her face. His kindness was one of his greatest qualities, he grew up poor and had gone to bed hungry at times as a child, got a scholarship to go to the same college she did, and that’s how they met. His kind heart was what made her say yes on the day that he asked her to be his girlfriend…and the night he asked her to be his wife.

“When she didn’t answer, I told her I had my wallet in the bedroom in my pants pocket, there was $200 in there for groceries and that she could have it. She still looked scared, so I told her that she didn’t have to do this. Then you knocked on the door.” Becky’s eyes lit up. “She told me to answer it and tell them to go away or she’ll shoot me. When I answered the door, I couldn’t believe it was you!” Becky held onto him tighter and looked into his eyes. “It was the happiest moment to see you back, but when you asked me to come inside, I didn’t want you to get shot. When she came to the door and saw you, she had the barrel of the gun directly pushing on my spine,” he paused, “I acted like that and said the things I did to protect you. I didn’t want her to shoot you too. It broke my heart to see you cry, when I really just wanted to take you into my arms as I am right now and hold you so tight. I’m sorry.”

Becky shook her head, “No… It’s my fault. I’m sorry. Fury said because I mentioned that I had a fiancée that you would already be dead,” she sobbed and closed her eyes feeling shame.

“Shhh,” he held her tight.

“Please don’t leave me,” she said desperately, heart aching as more tears streamed down her face.

“That’s why I am here. I will always be here for you, Rebecca.” He uncupped her face and put his arms around her in a warm embrace.

“Am I dead?” she opened her eyes to see his same beautiful green eyes that she missed so much.

He had a look of concern on his face when she asked him this question, he sighed, “No, not yet,” he paused “This is why I am here. I pleaded with God to be able to talk to you.” He looked over her shoulder at the earth spinning behind her and then back in her eyes, “All this that happened to you, you never had a choice, and I just wanted to give you a choice… you can leave this earth and leave all the pain behind, and be with me for eternity in paradise…”

She interrupted him, “Yes… in a heartbeat! I love you!”

He lightly laughed and smiled wistfully, “I love you too, Rebecca, so much. But the other choice is to go back to earth.” He paused, “I will be waiting here in the end, so I know we will be reunited here eventually.”

“No, Davy!” she frowned, grasping onto him she leaned in and kissed him passionately, then their world around them changed. Smells of flowers filled their senses, and more small pink cherry blossoms from out of nowhere started falling and rolling down their foreheads, eyelashes, and cheeks. His lips were warm, the moon shone in its brilliance. Still floating, it felt like paradise already. David slowly broke the kiss after many moments, both of them soaking the kiss in. They both slowly started opening their eyes.

“I feel like I am lost in a dream,” her voice cracking.

“Rebecca, I know you want to stay.” He paused, his voice loving, “My only regret aside from dying young was dying by the hand of violence.” His loving green eyes piercing her heart, “Dying alone, not around your loved ones or family, no chance of saying goodbye…” he paused again and looked into her eyes, “I don’t wish this fate for you,” he held her tightly, “You deserve to live a long and happy life, full of love, happy moments, especially after all you went through… and when that moment comes… to be surrounded by family and loved ones.”

“You died alone… it’s haunted my dreams,’’ she cried, “I am so sorry…” he paused, “I get nightmares that torment me, even when I’m awake!” tears streaming down her face.

“No, I wasn’t alone,” he paused, “She had a gun, we got into a fight after you left the apartment. The gun was thrown out the window, while I disposed of it, she took the knife I was using to cut up the vegetables… and… used that on me…” Becky gritted her teeth, he looked down but back at her again continuing, “She started setting the place on fire. I knew I was going to die as I could feel my body get weaker from the blood loss… but… I crawled to the living room and laid down in front of our picture of us from our last year of college together… When we started dating.” He paused with a small smile on his face, “I was remembering all these little memories. I knew blood loss was happening, and yes I was in pain… but…” he voice trailed off, “I chose to focus on the good memories of you and I to get through it, all our walks to school, how we fooled around after we got back to my place after classes, just being able to lay down and watch tv with you…we didn’t have to do anything fancy.” He paused again, “That picture was what I was looking at when I was passing into the next world…. I wanted to let you know, you were on my mind in those moments.” He looked at her lovingly. “I don’t want you to die this way, but… it is your choice…Besides...” he looked up above him and smiled, “Someone is trying to reach you.” His eyes looking at the stars.

She looked at him puzzled and looked in the same direction he was. She heard a muffled voice in the echoey… “Be…Beck…Becky”, the echo murmured, she couldn’t make out the voice.

Then she felt a sharp pain in her chest, “Ahh!” she gasped, and grabbed onto David in distress. Looking at him urgently.

* * *

Steve was sitting in a chair beside her bed in the hospital, alone. He was in civilian clothes now, a blue collared striped shirt and black jeans. His blonde hair to the side, he looked calm but felt empty inside looking at her, tubes inside her nostrils, an IV drip in her hand, her eyes closed, heart rate low, machine vibrations the only thing drowning out the silence.

“Be…Beck…Becky … I know… you’re in pain… You can let go… You can let go,” he said softly. “You’ve been through so much. I was hoping things could get better.” He paused and looked down at the floor, “I just want to say my part… before you go…”

He was fighting tears as they were welling up in his eyes, swallowing hard trying to get his words out. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you… Tony is beside himself.” He started to cry, tears streaming down his face, looking at her breathing, chest moving slowly up and down. “You’ve been my only friend throughout this whole ordeal of waking up in this world, and I have to say… Even though I have only known you a short time, I feel like I have known you… all of my life.”

It was true. He really felt this way, he wanted to protect her and seeing her like this made him realize how much he failed. “My dad died in World War 1, and my mom died when I was 18. To have a real friend is a gift, and you don’t know what you have until you don’t have it anymore. I would know… I outlived everyone I’ve known and loved… You may not know it, but to not go through this alone… was one of the greatest gifts I could have ever asked for…” He sniffled, “I guess… I’m not good at showing up on time for dates,” he said almost scolding himself, looking at her pale face. “I pictured that night of ours going differently… I was hoping for a rain check on that dinner.” Her blood pressure was dropping and her heart beats per minute were getting lower with each passing moment.

* * *

Becky started to have chest pain and clung to David, the pain was worse than she remembered. She must’ve been in shock right after she got shot, because she did not remember it feeling this bad.

“You’re going to have to make a decision.” He looked at her with a smile on his face, “You know he’s saying he loves you, right?”

“Excuse me!?” she said wide-eyed, trying not to cry, “I loved you first. I can’t believe Fury did this to you!” trying to de-rail it.

He smiled, he knew her all too well, “You may not want to acknowledge it… but deep down, you love him too.”

“I don’t want Fury to be right! He killed you!”

“Yeah,” he paused and sighed, “It won’t stop with you and Steve either. You know this…” she looked at him concerned, deep down she knew he was right, “They will do this to more innocent people and are not above snuffing people out to do it.”

Becky started to have tears run down her face again, “You could come with me, and live with me forever. I know you want that.” Their eyes locked, “I know you love me, but I don’t think you would be happy being an observer from afar like me now, not being able to stop them… At least… Not directly anyway.” A small smile came to his face, “That doesn’t sound like the strong soldier girl I know.” Her eyes lit up. “I know, you would want to help…” he smiled at her, his eyes so soft and loving, “I’ll be here. I can wait. We will reunite again.”

There was a pause between them as she was registering what he was saying, all of it was true.

He pulled her close and his warm, soothing voice said, “How do you want to be remembered, as someone they succeeded in killing, who went down in the fight… or someone who came back to stop it all, and made things right?”

She was quiet…Still thinking…

He raised his eyebrows, “Now, what are you going to do my Rebecca?” he said affectionately.

She smiled and lightly closed her eyes remembering his voice saying her name one last time. She relaxed and opened her eyes, they were ablaze, her hair still floating in the air, “I’m going to kill that son of a bitch who ordered the murder on you, and will stop the whole Eugenics operation, and…” she looked him in the eyes, “Have the courage YOU said I have inside all those years ago, to get the military cleaned up to no longer sweep sexual assault under the rug! I’ll do it myself if I have to!”

He took a giant breath in through his nose, looking proud as ever and held her tight. He smiled and said, “That’s my girl!”

She looked back down at the earth, and then back at David.

“You’re going back Rebecca. Remember, I will always be with you. Call on me whenever you need me, I can still hear you.” They looked at each other one last time and he let her go. She was falling back to earth, feeling more pain in her chest, the ability to feel temperatures getting stronger, the feel of more control of her moments of her body instead of numbness.

* * *

With a loud gasp Becky opened her eyes calling David’s name. Steve jumped startled, leaning back in his chair wide-eyed and in a moment his breath was taken away. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing, her eyes flew open, her face moving, her making coughing noises. His expression changing to sorrow as she stirred and squirmed, letting out paining moans as she winced in agony. There was nothing he could do to make her pain stop than asking nurses to give her more pain medication, which he immediately did. He was always good at keeping composure and focus, but he was making sure this time that she was going to be alright, she wasn’t going to have a close call like this again he said to himself.

Steve took out his phone, “Tony…” he said breathing heavily, “It’s Becky… She’s awake. Get over here quick!”


	16. Chapter 16

The lights in the hospital room were too bright, she couldn’t open her eyelids fully without shooting pains coming from her eyes, going all the way to the back of her head. She squirmed and frowned, her eyebrows narrowing in. Steve came back in the room with the nurse who administered a needle in her arm.

“What are you injecting her with?” Steve was being short with her, his protective instincts switched into high gear.

“More painkillers.” She also took out another needle and looked over at him. “More medication to stabilize her hormone levels.”

He nodded and watched her again take the needle to Becky’s arm. His breath was heavy and he wished he could do more. Becky squirmed after she withdrew the needle, Steve clenched his jaw, anxious to be sitting beside her again. Once the nurse finished up, she said she would contact the doctor, let him know she’s awake and will be coming in shortly with an update.

Steve was playing over all the events in his head, he knew to trust his instincts more after this. The flashes in his mind, the little pictures, the little clues. What if he didn’t feel anything wrong and took his time getting ready for that night out?

He would never forget the sight when he made it to Stark Tower and ran up to the floor Tony brought her to. Blood was everywhere. Like in David’s apartment, only this time it was her’s. Medical staff rushing to plug things into her, and he felt so useless at that point, and was told to leave. He could smell her blood on the ground from outside the door. Tears ran down his face, regret running through his veins, wishing and thinking if only he had gotten there sooner.

Guilt ran through his body, an invisible heaviness wearing on his soul. He looked up at Becky in the hospital bed, feeling sorrow of not being there to save her from being taken by that maniac. _“God only knows what he said and did to her,” _he thought. Seeing her tied up like that in that room, alone with that crazed lunatic staring at her lustfully made him enraged. Then her smell, her heat. Though he didn’t want to admit it to himself, it was almost too much for him in that moment. It scared him. He was always good at hyper focusing in spite of the circumstances around him and it served him well in war, he was a leader, but her scent reached the deepest internal instincts in him. His willpower had not been tested in that way until that night. Had he kept his focus; she probably wouldn’t have been shot by Fury.

He had a hard time looking into her eyes, his guilt felt so strong. He held her hands in his while she laid down in bed, he looked at her wrists seeing the rope burns and her glands irritated. Anger arose in his stomach, but he took a few deep breaths to cool off… and sadness replaced it. Thinking about not meeting her on time, how her voicemail she left could’ve been the last time he would ever hear her voice.

Becky had her eyes closed now and was replaying what went down earlier, and then it came back to her…Fury… “Fury…” she breathed heavily and propped her elbow behind her to help her sit up. Steve’s heart started to pound with intensity with the anger thinking about that man. “Where is Fury?” she said, Steve could detect worry in her voice.

“Shhh…Becky… it’s ok… lay down.” She protested scared, “No, Becky…” he lightly placed his large hands on both of her shoulders to calm her. She could smell him, the smell of pine and comfort, she took another breath. “We got him.’’ He looked into her half opened, wincing eyes. “Your friend? Mr. Hanson?” he said with a slight smile, “Turns out he works for the FBI and Fury was on their watch list for a while, they were trying to get enough evidence to nail him. Caught’em red handed,” he breathed heavily, still looking at her, “You don’t have to worry about it anymore. We got him, Becky.”

She frowned, still not convinced, “The man who took me?” she panted trying to fight off the pain. Steve’s face turned serious, his voice a bit deeper “You’ll never have to worry about him again, Becky. I took care of him. He’s NEVER coming back. He’ll never touch you again.”

She grabbed his hand, her face scrunched, wincing in pain and fear, “Steve, I was so scared. I couldn’t fight him off, I tried to run but I couldn’t get away.” Steve got angrier, his breathing heavy and he wanted to hold her tightly, but knew it would make her injuries worse. “Steve, it’s painful for me to open my eyes,” he frowned at her statement, “Steve, ahh,” as she tried to open them wider, only to wince again “Steve… It hurts.”

He grimaced, “I know… I’m here…” she kept her eyes closed and used her hands to trace where he was, sloppily and slowly skimming her palms and fingers over his hands, to wrists, forearms, arms, shoulders, face… the closer she got, the more his anger and inner turmoil melted. Once her fingers touched his skin on his face, he felt a calmness surround his mind. He briefly closed his eyes, he could smell her, the floral scent, all of the events from tonight sinking into his brain. He thought she would be gone forever, and he would have to make his way in this new world alone.

She opened her eyes as much as she could, she wanted to see his face. “Oh Steve, it was awful…” tears coming down… “It was so scary,” she whimpered. He stared at her with eyes crystal blue, piercing straight through her heart. “I was put in the back of a van, with another Omega, she was dead and rotting in a body bag…” she cried. “I was afraid that was going to be me. I didn’t want to die that way.”

“I can assure you, Becky. He’ll never harm you again,” he said intensely.

“Oh Steve… Thank you for finding me.” Her hazel eyes were like stars, he wasn’t sure if it was from emotion or tears forming.

That was it for Steve. He let out a sigh and his shoulders lowered, he looked to the side in disbelief, his guilt weighing on him heavily. His failure to avoid this kidnapping in the first place… and this girl is thanking him?! He couldn’t believe it, and he immediately got up and leaned down to her cheek and kissed her there a few times, slowly and tenderly. She couldn’t believe what she was feeling, his warm breath and lips on her skin, she closed her eyes and he slowly went back into his chair.

He finally looked her in the eyes, “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t there before all this happened. I was delayed.”

She held his hand a bit tighter, “I’m just so grateful that it wasn’t my last night here. I prayed to survive, but I made peace if not.” She paused, “I’m just happy I got the see you again.” She paused again, “The heat… How come I don’t feel it anymore? Don’t let me get it when I’m like this…” she feared, “It’ll surely kill me.”

“They have injected you with more hormones, in hopes to keep them balanced.”

Then there was a loud noise in the hallway, and some raised voice that sounded like Tony, the voice was muffled but was getting closer to the room.

Tony turned the corner and entered the room, “Little missy, you almost gave me a flippin’ heart attack,” he walked over to Steve, who was now standing by Becky’s bed. He sighed and looked over at Steve with a small smile of relief, “It worked.” Steve returned the smile and nodded.

The doctor entered the room holding his chart, “Looks like she’s awake. This is a really good thing,” he said optimistically. “Hello, Ms. Morrison,” Becky nodded at the doctor. He looked through her notes on the chart, “Looks like you had a pretty fun night,” he said sarcastically. “You came in with two gunshot wounds, a possible concussion, a punctured lung, internal bleeding, and really irregular hormones.” He paused looking at the information on his chart. “Mr. Stark’s nano technology helped fix you better than we could from the small to large tears in your veins.” He paused and looked up from his chart to Becky, “We wouldn’t have been able to patch you up in time. You would’ve died from internal bleeding. You’ll have a long way to go yet before you’ll be fully healed, but this is really wonderful progress to see how the last few hours how you’ve responded.”

“I’m in so much pain, doctor.” Becky whimpered.

“Yes, yes you absolutely would be,’’ agreeing with her, “It seems that with the nano machines inside you, you heal faster as you sleep. I recommend a sleep tranquilizer, that way you get help on both ends – not awake for some of the pain, and internal healing can accelerate.”

Becky nodded.

The doctor leaned in front of Becky, “Rebecca, I need you to look at my finger and follow where it goes without moving your head,” she did that, but winced whenever he would move his finger higher in the air, the shooting pains again moved from the front of her eyes to the back of her head. “Ok, Rebecca… Looks like you did indeed have a concussion…” he jotted down some more notes on his clipboard, “You are really lucky to have survived young lady…”

“What do I do now?” she asked, still wincing at the neon lighting coming from the ceiling.

“Well, for the next 48 - 72 hours, you are on bedrest. Let those nano machines continue to do their work.” He turned to Tony, “This is great work Mr. Stark,” then turned back to Becky. “Next afterwards, we need you to start walking…nothing at all strenuous, I mean walk from one side of the hallway to the other with a walker that has a seat, so you can sit down if you get tired.” He wrote down some more notes on his chart. “Your veins are repairing, so again, no strenuous activities, nothing that can bring your heartrate up as you are also on drugs that are trying to keep your hormones leveled. You were burning up like no one I had ever seen before.” He looked back at Becky, “We’re still figuring out the right dosage for you to level out your hormones, it may take some time and can be painful.’’ He paused, “You’ll be staying here for a while, and definitely over the holidays.” Steve took in a deep breath and narrowed his eyes at the doctor, Tony glanced over his shoulder at Steve communicating it’s alright.

Becky sighed, “Oh….” Everyone looked at her, she looked away out the window… into the darkness of the night sky. “The other side was so beautiful…” her voice haunted Steve, he did not expect to hear her say that. Almost like… she didn’t want to be here anymore.

“Rebecca…” the doctor called to get her attention, “We will be giving you a sedative that will keep you sleep for 12 hours. Your cells will heal faster while you sleep. I need your consent first. Do we have your consent?”

She nodded, she understood.

“Mr. Stark…” the doctor turned to him, “I really want to learn more about your nano technology, instruments like this could help save many lives.”

“Well Doctor, when my friend is cured… I’ll think about it,” he said coldly. Becky looked up at Tony. The doctor looked at him puzzled, “If she lives, I’ll think about it.” He paused, “Looks like you’ve got some work to do, Doc! Chop chop!” he raised both eyebrows.

Steve shot Tony a look, the doctor was shocked and didn’t know what to make of his remark. He grabbed the needle with the tranquilizer and injected it into Becky’s IV. Steve looked down at Becky and ran his hand over the top of her hair a few times to keep her calm. It was already starting to take affect. When she closed her eyes again, Steve lightly brushed his thumb over her lips and the doctor left the room.

Steve tapped Tony on the shoulder, he turned around with a smug grin on his face. “You’ll think about it?” Steve repeated, “Whatever happened to doing the right thing?” he said crossing his arms.

Tony looked around to make sure no one else was in the room or in earshot, and he leaned in closer to Steve, “I need to make sure they save her. If they want MY technology that I invented; they have to do their part. I need to see if the nano machines work, they’ve never been used… and so far… it’s saved her from death.”

“Are you experimenting on Becky too? Just like Fury?” Steve said aggressively, “Are we some kind of specimen?”

Tony snapped his head back in his direction, “Don’t you ever compare me to that man!” he was offended, “No one else has this technology!” Steve looked at him judgementally as he crossed his arms, “And what would’ve “Captain America” done? CPR? Do you even know what that is? Was that even around in the 1940s?” he scoffed. “I was the one to save her… not you… and you just CAN’T stand that, can you?” he said pointing at Steve.

Steve started breathing deeply through his nose, anger originating in his gut. In a flash, Steve grabbed Tony by the collar of his shirt, got in his face and in a stern voice said, “She’s been through enough! Don’t get any funny ideas of experimenting on her or me, or there will be hell to pay. Do you understand me?” Steve recalled the conversation in Becky’s room when they ate together looking at the sunset. She was worried about Tony’s intentions. He was not going to let anything slip past now. He had to make up for the mistake that got her kidnapped in the first place.

Tony was surprised how Steve went from zero to sixty so fast, but he looked at him calmly. “I know where you’re coming from. We’re on the same team, Rogers. I’m trying to save her life. Isn’t that what you want too?” Tony’s eyes softening.

Steve released his grip on his shirt and they parted, he took a few steps back. He frowned and sat back down in the chair beside Becky, and looked at her. Tony looked down at Steve’s neck at his gland and then over at Becky who was already out from the tranquilizer and gazed down at her gland as well. He nodded and looked over at Steve, “Hey… I’m sorry that got out of hand. I know it’s been a shit night for all of us.” Steve looked at him silently and slightly nodded. Both of their tempers were getting the best of them.

“Tony?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you still have Becky’s file?”

He nodded, “Yeah, it’s at Stark Tower. Come on,” he nudged his head towards the door.

Steve looked back at Becky, “Actually, look up this information for me and call me with it.” He looked back at Becky, “I don’t want to leave her here alone.” He handed Tony a note.

Tony nodded, and took the paper from Steve. Then his phone rang, “Hello? Pepper?” There was a pause, Steve was watching him take the call, “Oh yeah, right.” Tony sighed, “Ok. Talk to you later. Thanks, Pepper.”

Tony sighed and turned to Steve, “Remember how I was telling Becky about the annual Stark Christmas party?”

“Yes,” Steve replied.

Tony looked down at the floor slightly shaking his head, as he knew Steve wasn’t going to like what he was going to say, “Well, with all the excitement we’ve been a part of, I lost track of days. Turns out – it’s tonight.”

Steve sighed and looked up at him.

“Pepper is doing last minute confirmations. I should’ve told you earlier today, that you’re also going to be part of the opening presentation. It’s happening tonight.”

“What?” he shook his head, “I’m not a puppet, Tony,” Steve was irritated.

“I know… I’m not much in a party mood either… Believe me…” his voice trailed off looking at Becky in the hospital bed. “But… people now know that Captain America is back.” He paused, “After tonight, people… many people… have seen you running around the city in your suit looking for Becky. I was going to wait to introduce you later but, the cat’s outta the bag now. So, I will present you to everyone, and half way through, if you’re not having fun… You can go home or… come back here…” his voice trailed off again looking at Becky. “Just do it, Steve.”

He didn’t say anything, but nodded. He looked at Becky one more time, and she seemed to be resting well. He stood up and walked out of the room with Tony. Looking down the hall he saw the nurses’ station across from the elevators. Before he headed out, he stepped up to there desk and told one of the nurses there, “You make sure to take care of that girl in room 102, until I get back tonight.”

The nurse nodded, and he walked into the elevator with Tony. Once the doors closed Steve said, “I’ll do my bit, but I’m coming back here as soon as possible.”

Tony turned to him, “Damn straight! We were lucky she was found alive!”

* * *

The party was a complete success, Steve went on stage dressed in his Captain America suit in front of all of Tony’s party guests. Announcing that he has joined forces with Iron Man to help keep peace in the city, to fight crime, and make a better life for everyone. There was a roar of applause, Steve never heard a crowd so loud, even as his days as a performer in the war before he became a Captain in the military.

A part of him was happy to be warmly received by the audience at the party, but in the back of his mind he really wished he could look out into that crowd and see Becky standing there smiling at him. He was getting antsy; this was definitely not his comfort zone. The spotlight was hot, and he wished he suit could breathe better, there were many flashing lights, lots of people around, the noise level was really loud. Aside from Tony and Pepper, he didn’t know a soul in this place. It was beautiful though, people decked out in their best attire, red and green decorations all over the place. Food and drinks, maybe too many.

Once he got off the stage, people started coming up to talk to him, one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen in his life came up to him and asked him for an autograph. “Hi Captain,” a hint of flirtation in her voice, “My name is Lexie,” she said with a gorgeous smile, she was wearing a red dress that hugged her body in all the right places and had a sweetheart neckline. He had to do a double take when he saw her, “I work in accounting at Stark Industries, 15th floor…” her voice trailed off. He nodded and smiled back. She leaned forward, showing more cleavage, “It’s great to have more muscle defending our city, don’t you think?” she said with a wink.

He looked up at her but didn’t know what to say. He took a deep breath and he signed her Captain America card and thanked her for attending the party. Then he walked over to Tony, “I’m going to take off back to the hospital and stay with Becky.”

Tony nodded, “Ok, I’ll be over there later on.”

He didn’t even change; he walked out of the building still in his Captain America suit and ran back to the hospital. Worry starting to wrack his brain. His gut telling him to get back there as soon as possible, just in case something were to go wrong, he could be there this time. He was getting anxious again, he couldn’t believe how lucky he was that she was not dead.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Becky get to know each other more... Stevie is a sweetie in this :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for taking the time out of your day to read my work. It really means a lot to me. 
> 
> This story is really one of things that is bringing me joy in my life and I am so glad you have gone on this journey with these characters, which I love so much. 
> 
> I hope you are enjoying this story so far, please bookmark or subscribe so you don't miss any updates to the story.

Becky stirred and tried to move her body to sleep on her side, but couldn’t because of the needles and tubes in her arms. Her skin felt a bit cold since the hospital staff dressed her in a patient gown. She opened her eyes and found herself laying down on a bed inside a house with no lights. It was night time and it was raining hard, she could hear the pitter patter of the raindrops on the roof. She felt squeamish in this unfamiliar surrounding. She was alone. There was a deep sense of gloom and abandonment, she felt goosebumps on her skin and an inner darkness dragging heavy on her soul.

She noticed there was a window in the corner of the room, she walked over to the window to looked outside to see large raindrops hitting the windowpane. Even though it was raining, the moon was in the sky, there were bolts of lightening that would scatter and dance across the clouds and illuminate the room she was in.

She felt like she was being watched when someone grabbed her from behind, and turned her around. It was a man but he was faceless, he lowered himself inches away from her head. It terrified her seeing no eyes, no mouth, no nose on him. He had dark hair, and he was at least three times bigger than she was. He was dressed in a combat military uniform and he leaned forward in a threatening manner, towering over her, reaching both of his hands out and placing them around her neck, choking her. She grabbed onto his strong forearms, kicking him with her feet trying to break free, but it was no use. She felt herself get weaker and weaker… her legs barely able to support her own weight, about to be done in by his hands.

Then she saw sparks flicker in the dark corners of the room, followed by loud bangs that clapped and echoed in her ears and shook her body, triggers being pulled, bullets… hot bullets piercing through her body as if it were a hot knife through butter. Then she felt objects above her falling and hitting her on her head and shoulders. She looked around on the floor to find that they were guns. Some pistols, some rifles, berrettas, to AK-47s. With the man’s tight grip still on her throat, she looked up at the ceiling and then the ceiling caved in on her.

She woke up with a gasp, she jumped catching her breath and stroked her neck with her fingers… making sure no one was strangling her.

“Becky…” she looked to her left and had her eyes focus for a few seconds, as everything was blurry. “Becky…” Steve consoled, and started stroking her head again, she could smell him as his wrist glands were closer now, his scent was intoxicating. “Are you alright?” She noticed his blonde hair parted to the side and then his distinctive crystal blue eyes staring at her with concern… and then noticed he was in his Captain America suit.

“Steve…” she said panicked, “Why are you in your suit, are we in danger?” she started to cry.

“No Becky,” he placed his hand on her shoulder, “I was at Tony’s Christmas party tonight, they introduced me to the public. I had to make a spectacle of myself, and I just ran over after I was done.”

“Oh,” she looked over at him again, “You look uncomfortable.” She said dryly, still breathing heavily. He smirked with a bit of relief to know she still had some sense of humour. She looked at her IV and winced, “What did they give me? I’m having terrible nightmares…”

“A sedative and hormones to level out your heat.” He held her hands as she laid back down in the bed.

“Steve…” he looked at her face… She was wincing in pain, “Am I going to die?”

Steve was saddened by her question, “No… You’re getting better. We weren’t sure after a while, but you… you fought and you came back.” He caressed his thumbs over the top of her hands, her skin as smooth as silk. “And I’m really thankful that you did,’’ he whispered, Becky looked at him and saw his sweet expression. He truly cared about her.

She groaned in pain from her wounds, “Steve… Fury wants to kill me.”

His eyes widened, distressed that she would think such a thing, “Well, that’s not going to happen! He’ll have to get through me first!” he hissed, “I left a beating on him hard enough that he’ll think twice before even thinking about hurting you again.” He said definitively.

“Steve… I just know. He’s going to want to kill me now, especially now that he got caught,” she frowned, “What he said before he shot me, was personal against me… He’s going to scheme something else. Please, Steve, I think he’s going to kill me.” She repeated. Steve looked at the monitor and saw that her heartrate started climbing, and she started breathing more heavily.

He returned to her gazed again, “No Becky, he won’t”, he said reassuring her, “It’s not in his best interest to come after you again. I know you’re nervous. Lay down, rest some more. They are coming by with food soon.”

“It’s so scary for me to sleep.” She said slowly looking over at him. He inhaled and slightly nodded, “Do you know what I mean, Steve?”

“I do,” he replied and he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the side of her bed. He was beautiful, his eyes so full of warmth, the closer he got, the more she wanted to reach out and hold him close… but she couldn’t… her body could barely get her shoulder blades off the bed.

“Steve… Can you… Tell me some stories?” he raised an eyebrow. “Anything… like what life was like when you were growing up… maybe some jokes… I want to… get to know you more.”

He sat in thought, surprised, but determined to get her mind off of things, “Sure. Although, I’m really not good at jokes,’’ he replied, he felt very awkward being put on the spot like that, “The only joke I can think of is, there was once a critic who went to go see a play, and someone asked him “Did that new play have a happy ending?” and he replied, “Sure… Everyone was glad it was over…”” he looked over at Becky hesitantly.

She had her eyes closed the whole time, but she was suppressing a small smile, and failed miserably at it. Then the sides of her lips curled up and solid smile came to her face, dimples showing.

“It’s not that good of a joke,” he scoffed.

“It doesn’t have to be…” she replied, a smile still on her face, eyes still closed, “I love the sound of your voice… It’s soothing to me.” She cooed.

He breathed out heavily at that compliment, perhaps it’s all the chemicals they are injecting her with that made her say that, but underneath he believed or at least wanted to believe it. He continued to talk about his life, telling her nice or funny stories and any other jokes that came to mind. Anything to keep her mind off of the pain.

“I lived in Brooklyn my whole life with my mom.” He paused, “I’ve been on my own since I was 18, I don’t know if you heard me say this before?” She lightly shook her head. “My father, his name was Joseph and he fought in World War I and died in the field, while my mom was still pregnant with me, so I never met him.’’

“I’m sorry…’’ her eyes were still closed, the neon lights were so strong, it would still give her headaches when she opened them, she wanted to let him know she was still listening even when they were closed.

“My mother was a nurse; her name was Sarah. She was sick a lot. She passed away when I was 18 of TB.” He paused, remembering taking care of his mom and his last moments with her as she passed, holding her hand. Tears came to his eyes, and he rapidly blinked them away, fighting them. “I had a great friend, Bucky.”

“Who was with you in the school yard and in the war… Sergeant James Barnes?” she said, her voice trailing off.

He was shocked, “How do you know that?”

“There’s a war museum in DC, went there on a trip for our high school history class many years ago.” She took a deep breath to ease her body pains, “We learned a bit about you… Didn’t know this about your parents though.” She paused, “How about… when we’re outta here… and I’m strong enough, we could go there and we can see it sometime?” her eyes still closed.

“Yeah,” he hesitated, and thought it was so strange to have an exhibit of yourself in a museum, he wasn’t looking for glory, or even to be remembered. He just wanted to put his gifts to use, and help stop the war. He sighed, “Last time I was awake in my old life, we were at war.” He paused, “I don’t even know how we won. I would like to go with you.” He paused again, “Well, here’s something probably no one in the museum would know… for my last birthday with my mom before she passed, she made me a baked apple as a dessert.”

She turned her head in his direction, eyes still closed as she winced, “Do you mean apple pie?’’ she questioned.

“No, a baked apple…” he paused “It was still the great depression and things were hard to come by, but it was the best baked apple I’ve ever had.” He said with a smile, she could actually hear him smiling from the way his voice sounded. Her heart felt warm and she again felt the same sensation of her heart stretching, like when he left her that note with food and flowers in Stark Tower at her door, her breath became harder because of it. Steve noticed and looked at the monitor again checking her heartbeats.

“Are you ok, Becky?” he frowned concerned, protective of her.

“Yeah… I mean given the circumstances,’’ her eyes still closed, “You just… are… so different… than most men I’ve ever met in my entire life.” He didn’t know what to say to that, he did feel like an outsider, things were different from how he grew up. “Your words…”, Becky was trying to open her eyes and positioning herself to see him. “They reach me in a way that many people never do… and… it affects me,” her voice trailed off… Steve bit his lip, he wanted to say so much of what was in his heart, but he knew now was not the right moment. He heard the heart monitor beeping and he looked over to see her pulse started to lower down to a normal level. This gave him relief.

“Steve?” she called out to him, her eyes closed.

“Yeah, Becky?”

“Do you think that the serum that turned you into Captain America… Do you regret it? Was it beneficial to you?” she asked.

“Well…” he thought about her question, “My mom and I, we didn’t have much…” she turned her face towards his voice, her eyes still closed. “I ended up growing to the overall height of 5’4 and weighed a whopping 95 lbs – I was about your height and weighed less than you. I would get into fights all the time,” he lightly laughed.

“You don’t strike me as the instigating type,” a small smile came to her face, her voice soft.

He grinned, “No, just… people who wanna pick on someone smaller than them.”

“So, do you have a Napoleon complex?” she teased.

He scoffed, “Would you like me to?” he retorted playfully.

A light laugh escaped from Becky’s lips, it made him smile.

“But… You didn’t answer my question… Do you regret it?”

He took a breath in and thought about it, “Well, I was so sickly,” he paused “and tried to get into the army to hopefully serve with Bucky, but I kept on getting rejected… There were so many things wrong with me that everyone thought it would be in my best interest not to go, that I would be a burden for any platoon. So, I went to as many recruitment offices that I could find. I thought hopefully, one of them would say yes.”

Becky opened her hazel eyes and instantly connected to his blue, he was almost winded by the intensity of her stare, but continued on, “I was only accepted because one doctor wanted to give me a chance. He was looking for a candidate for this experimental serum, saying it amplifies what’s already inside the person. If the person is bad, they’ll become worse… and if they’re good, they become great.” She smiled at him warmly. “It cured all my illnesses and birth defects, which I thought I would have to struggle with the rest of my life. I sometimes worry that the serum could wear off and the illnesses will come back, but I try not to think about it.” He took a deep breath in, “Overall, I think there was no way around it for me. If I didn’t have the serum, I probably wouldn’t have even made it to age 30.”

Even though her eyes were hurting the whole time, to see him speak gave her great hope and joy. “Well, for what’s it’s worth Steve,” he connected his eyes with hers again, “I think that doctor made the perfect choice.” She smiled at him.

“To be honest, at the time I wasn’t sure. I was nervous. Could hardly sleep the night before. I was afraid, because they said it could kill me if things went wrong.”

“Of course,” she frowned, “Looks like you’ve been an experiment in eugenics right from the start of your military career.” She paused, “You know… I admire your brave heart – it’s not about NOT feeling any fear, you feel the fear, but still move forward even though you feel it… That’s what makes people brave. If you don’t feel the fear, really… you’re not overcoming anything.”

He smiled at her, “All this wisdom, how old are you again?”

She laughed, “Younger than you!” he smiled at her response and raised an eyebrow, “It’s not polite to ask a woman her age… Mr. Centenarian, you should know better…” she teased.

He smirked and lightly shook his head.

“How are you feeling now, Becky…” he asked.

She wanted to hold him, she just wanted to have him closer to her… just for a few minutes. She was getting tired; the medications and hormones made her drowsy and her eyes started to feel heavy again. “I feel tired… I wish I could get outta this hospital and just rest in my own bed,” she smiled for a second.

Steve smiled, “Well, let’s make the that the next goal, huh?” his voice a bit softer and deeper. “One step at a time, Becky. Don’t give up, I’m here. I believe you can rise above it.”

“Okayyy…” she sighed, as she nodded back off into the dream world.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are heating up and we certainly hit a turning point!!! Just when you thought Steve was a sweetie already, get ready for a cavity ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> I hope you are really enjoying this story. Stevie is a SWEETIE in this next chapter as well! 
> 
> I love writing this story for you all. Please leave a kudos if you like it! Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to read my work. I am grateful that even one person reads it, and it really makes my day when someone says something nice or lets me know they enjoy it. 
> 
> I have more plans for this story, so if you like what you have read so far, make sure to bookmark so you don't miss any updates.
> 
> Lots of love always!

She sighed out loud, voice in distress as her eyes were still closed. Steve looked over at her to see her face scrunched in an intense frown. Clearly, she was disturbed. She started to squirm under the hospital bedsheet and she sighed again in what seemed as another call for help. Steve glanced over at the heart monitor and saw a spike in heart beats per minute.

He turned to her and lightly shook her, “Becky” he hesitated waiting to see if it woke her up. It didn’t. “Becky… You’re dreaming! Wake up!” she opened her eyes, still wearing a frown. Another sigh escaped her lips as he came into her vision, relief passed through her body and Steve looked up to see her heart rate was heading back into the normal range. Worry draped across his face, Steve turned back to Becky and had his palm go over her head and hair. “Are you alright?” he asked tenderly, his voice deeper. “What were you dreaming about?”

She looked down into her lap, “Steve,” she sniffled, “It was terrible,” she turned to the side to compose herself and take a few more breaths in and moved to make contact with his caring eyes again, “There was a shadow chasing me in a forest, saying that I couldn’t hide and that it would find me and kill me. I was trying to outrun it,’’ tears started to fall, she was catching her breath as if she were running in real life.

“It was just a dream Becky, you’re here… with me,” he said warmly, he wanted to kiss her right there, but thought again that it wasn’t the right time, so he substituted and slowly brought her hand to his lips and kissed the top of it. She stared at him as he did it slowly, remembering how Davy first did that on campus after she was assaulted in the military and therefore, found it difficult to be close with anyone. Steve placed her hand down and looked into her eyes to analyze how she was reacting. They just stared into each other’s eyes for a few moments, nothing and yet, everything going through their minds at the same time, a calmness experienced between each other that words could not explain. Something inside their presence equally soothing to each other’s souls. Steve took a breath in and sat up straight, he was the first to break their gaze as he grabbed a bottle of water and gave it to her. She drank, grateful as it helped her calm down from yet another nightmare.

“Becky…” his deep voice filled her ears and felt his hand lightly brush against her cheek. She could smell the cinnamon and pine from his wrist. He could tell that she was lightly sniffing and enjoying what she could smell and he smiled. She noticed he was no longer in his Captain America suit and dressed in civilian clothing, a light brown leather jacket, and a blue and white checkered collared shirt and beige pants. “How are you feeling now?”

“Warm…” she replied, “I feel kinda out of it.”

He nodded and looked to the direction of the door of the room they were in and back at Becky. “Are you feeling up for company?”

She looked at him curiously, “Is Tony here?”

He shook his head, “He was here a little while ago, but you were sleeping. He brought you a get well card.” He pointed to it on the table a few feet away.

“That’s nice of him.” She smiled at the gesture. “Well, I’m still in pain…” she sighed. “What day is it?” she tried to prop herself up on her elbows, Steve gasped and was about to tell her to stop when he watched that she was somewhat successful at doing it. His jaw dropped and then turned quickly into a smile. She was on the mend and he was definitely happy about it.

“It’s December 24th, it’s Christmas Eve…” he looked at her, his eyes were shiny.

Her eyes went wide, “Oh… Christmas Eve!” She looked around the room and saw huge red flowers spread around the room.

“Yeah, Tony also sent you a lot of poinsettias since he knew you were going to be in here for the holidays. Thought it would cheer you up.” A grin painted on his face.

She turned to him, eyes finally open even though it still hurt to open them all the way. She started to have tears come to her eyes. She smiled, “They’re wonderful…” her voice echoed, looking around the room.

Steve leaned in closer, she turned to him, they were a few inches away from each other’s face. “Listen… Becky… I know you haven’t been in the best of spirits lately… but I thought I would get you something that could possibly make you happy.”

She raised an eyebrow, but was silent, wondering what he could possibly mean.

He reached down to the side of the bed, he looked up at her hesitantly as if almost asking for permission. She nodded at him and brought up a bag, reached inside it and took out two photo frames. Becky went wide-eyed! “I knew Christmas was coming up and you wanted these back after the police took them,” He said with a small smile on his face, “I hope this makes you happy.”

“Oh Steve,” she started to cry and her heart felt like it was starting to stretch again.

“How are you feeling? Is this… too much? I don’t want to make you upset,” he glanced at the monitors and looked at her heart rate. “I don’t want to reverse your recovery.” He said sweetly, but a hint of worry in his voice.

“Oh, Steve, you don’t know how much this means to me…” her voice trailed off looking at the photos of her and David, they were clean, no blood on them.

“I asked the police station if I could take them. They didn’t have use for them anymore. I cleaned them. I hope this is an ok gift. At the moment… I don’t have any money, and I wanted to give you something.”

He was an old-fashioned guy, for him to admit he didn’t have money meant he put his ego to the side just to put a smile on her face. She instantly leaned back on the bed and stared at him, “Oh…” she didn’t know what to say… it came out naturally, without thinking, “I… love you.”

His eyes widened and he slightly leaned forward elbows on the hospital bed, closer to her, he stopped breathing, lips agape. “You love me?” His eyes focused only on her.

“Um…” realizing what she had done, regret filled her heart, maybe he didn’t feel the same way – it was too late to back pedal, “Ah, I…” her voice started to shake, “I think so…” she said feeling nervous now _“Maybe I shouldn’t have said this?”_

“You think so??” he retorted, his eyes intensely frowning at her. She did not expect this reaction from him, and remorse started to build in her heart.

There was a pause between them, she didn’t know what to do… “Yeah…I… I guess so…” her lower lip quivering.

“Well, I know so!” he willfully leaned in on his elbows on the side of her bed. “I knew I was going to love you from the first time I saw you. Something told me, even though I didn’t want to believe it at the time. I just knew.”

“Really, Steve? Even before, we watched the tape with Fury explaining everything?” her lips parted to take in a deep breath. He nodded. This blew her mind. How could this happen?

“Becky… Listen… I know this might be a lot… but while you were sleeping, I did something else for you.”

“What, Steve?” she asked.

“I called your parents,” Becky gasped, “They are outside in the hall. They came in before while you were sleeping and stayed for a few hours while you were out. They met with me and Tony. Did you want to see them?”

She started to cry, “Yes…”

“Becky, is it too much? Your breathing is getting heavy and you’re crying. You’re going to bleed out of the stitching.” He said worried.

“No,” she took a few deep breaths, “I have composure. Let them in, I want to see them. I have to see them! They must be worried sick!”

He hesitated and studied her, “Are you alright with doing this?”

“Steve, these have been the best Christmas presents I have ever received.” They looked into each other’s eyes, “We really don’t know how much things are worth until they are almost taken away from us… forever.”

He gulped and frowned, “I told them what happened to us, and about David. They saw me, I showed them my glands on my neck. They asked about it.” She nodded, “I explained that you have the same on yours, but they don’t know what it means. They don’t know about Fury wanting super solider offspring. Thought I should leave that up to you, if you wanted to tell them.” He bit his lip, hoping he made the right call and that she wouldn’t be mad at him.

“Ok, let them in Steve. I want to see my parents.”

He nodded his head and walked over to the door of her room and opened it.

“Mr. and Mrs. Morrison… She’s awake now…” he called out, a smile coming to his face.

Steve stood at the doorway, turned his head, giving Becky a smile, as she heard footsteps coming closer to the doors. Both her mom and dad come through. They looked older, a little more worn, worn with worry – with where their little girl disappeared to. She could make out her mother’s face first, her eyes wide and a look of relief as she rushed to her bedside and toucher her daughter’s face. Becky looked back at the door and saw her dad, his eyes starting to water, processing seeing his daughter alive, he staggered to the other side of her bed.

He put her hand on the top of her head, “Sweetie pie?” he paused, “Are you alright?” tears started to fall as his voice cracked. Becky’s dad was always tough growing up, she had never seen him cry up until this moment. “I can’t believe I have my little girl back!’’ he put his arms around her in a warm embrace.

Steve stayed by the door, not knowingly holding his breath, looking at it all unfold. Such love. It made him smile and he felt warmth in his heart. To see them reunite was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. He wondered if this was what it was like at the end of the war, and what soldiers came home to their loved ones was like. The kind of event he wished he could’ve shared with Peggy when the war was over. Steve struggled to keep tears from his eyes. He was glad to have been able to be put to good use, to do something right.

Steve knew and feared that doing this would possibly create a crossroad between them. She may not want to go back to Stark Tower after this, and he knew he couldn’t blame her, after what she went through, she would need the family support.

“Steve,” called Becky’s mom. She walked over to him and gave him a good, long hug. He was surprised, and looked over to see her dad coming over as well and gave him a hug also. “Thank you for bringing back our only child, my baby girl.”

“You’re welcome, Ma’am.” Was all he could think of to say while being clouded by waves of emotion.

‘’Please, call me Michelle,” she smiled at him, she turned and pointed at her husband, “This is my husband, Allen.”

“Our lives have never been the same since we were told that our daughter was never coming home.” Steve looked at him puzzled, “We got a letter from the military telling us that the medical experiment she signed up for went wrong,’’ his eyes started to tear up again.

Steve frowned, his eyebrows narrowed together, anger rising in his heart, “Let me guess… This letter… Was it signed by Nick Fury? I feel like we’re caught in a web of lies. Everyone has been lied to.”

“We got in touch with a criminal lawyer that a friend recommended to us, his name is Matthew Murdock,” Michelle said wide-eyed. “He lives here in New York City! I will call him and have him go over what’s happened!”

“He will need help,” Becky chimed in, everyone turned to look at her in the hospital bed, “I’ve been working with Tony Stark’s lawyer Mr. Finelli – he took down both Steve and I’s story, Mr. Murdock might want to go over his notes too,” she paused and looked up at Steve, the look in her eyes changed, surrendering the internal mask she was wearing while her parents were in the room, “Mom…” her voice started to quiver and sounded like a little girl voice, she closed her eyes in dread as she knew what she was going to have to say, “Dad… There’s more…”

Steve’s face twitched, anxious about how her parents were going to react to what she was going to tell them.

“You notice how both Steve and I have these weird looking glands on our necks, right?” she turned her head each way to display them and she showed them her wrists… “Take out your phones, take pictures of them on both of us, record what I am about to say…” her voice taking an ominous tone, “In case…” she looked up at Steve who was looking back at her, breathing heavily, “In case… I am snuffed out.”

* * *

“Mom… Dad…” Becky sobbed emotionally, “I know I went through all of these changes to my body. I am worried you won’t see the old me. I am still the old me inside.”

“Oh, darling… You will always be our child; your dad and I will always love you. You are no different to us now, as you were back then. We are just ecstatic to have you back in our lives! The house just isn’t the same without you.”

Steve’s cell phone started ringing; he took the call outside. After a few minutes he came back into the room. He sighed, “I have to go, Tony needs me to come in for a shift. Training…” He looked at her parents, “You’ll be with her the whole time I’m gone, right?”

Michelle scoffed, “Um… I’m not going ANYWHERE. I won’t lose her again!” She adamantly stated. Steve smiled with relief. He looked over at Becky with intensity in his eyes, he really didn’t want to leave, but he knew he needed to… “I will see you later, Becky. Rest up,” and he left the room.

Her mom glanced over at Becky, “Honey,” she paused, “I am sorry about David’s passing.” Her dad put a hand on her shoulder, “Steve told us about that.” Becky’s eyes started to water.

She frowned, and nodded. No words could come to her. Just a pain in her heart, but relief to finally feel the embrace of her parents again. She thought she was going to have a Christmas without them, but Steve… He brought them back to her.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is THE CHRISTMAS CHAPTER! 
> 
> I'm so excited to post this for you all to enjoy, I'm already looking forward to the holidays myself. Never experienced it in NYC, but it's on my bucket list :) I have more ideas for later chapters that hopefully you'll all like :)
> 
> Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy day to read my work. Every kudo, every view, or comment is very much appreciated. I squeal with delight when I find out that other people whom I have never met before actually like the story. I am so grateful to AO3 to reach a wide audience. 
> 
> At some point, I will be presenting this to my family members... It's giving me great anxiety as you could imagine, but I am grateful to have such wonderful readers like you set aside your spare moments (as rare as those can be in this busy world) to enjoy the imaginary world I have in my head. 
> 
> Lots of love always and please enjoy - Dee

Steve was tired, but knew he had to go in for his shift. He trained again with Tony to get him familiar with the computer systems and fixed any possible glitches with his suit, since the commlinks were crackling from back when trying to rescue Becky. Now everything was perfect.

“Well Steve, thought I would keep it kinda light today.” He turned to him and noticed the dark circles under his eyes, “When was the last time you slept? You look terrible.”

Steve laughed, “Well, do sleeping in hospital chairs count?” he replied sarcastically.

“That’s rough,” he raised his eyebrows as he went to look at his phone. “Well, go to sleep. Rest well. Maybe Santa will be good to you this year when you wake up in the morning,” he said with a smirk.

Steve looked at him confused, “What’s that suppose to mean?”

“I don’t know, looks like Cap has been a good boy this year,” Steve lessened his gaze, Tony was definitely speaking in code.

Steve narrowed his eyebrows, “Well… I don’t have any stockings hanging from my imaginary chimney this year…”

Tony looked to the side in thought and turned back to Steve, “You know what? Let me give you your present early.” Steve’s eyes widened. _What was he talking about? _Tony padded his shoulder, “Come, it’s in the underground parking.”

Once they made it out of the elevator, Tony lead Steve around the corner. Steve looked around and saw that there was a brand new red pickup truck parked, along with all the bells and whistles. He turned around and glanced at Tony who had a smug expression on his face. “So… You like it?”

“Tony…Is this truck for me?” he inquired.

“Yeah… Duh!” he said nonchalantly.

He blinked with a blank expression on his face, registering what he said, “Thank you, Tony.” He replied sincerely.

“Yeah, thought I would say thank you for joining the team and get into the Christmas spirit”.

Steve gave him a smile, “Well, thanks again. That’s very generous of you.”

“Nah, don’t mention it.” He paused, “I was going to give you a motorcycle, it seemed more your style, but it’s too cold outside for that right now.” Tony looked down at his feet, grin on his face, “How’s little missy doing?”

Steve turned to him, “I’ve seen some improvement.”

“Did she like the poinsettias I sent her?” he asked hopefully.

“Yeah,” he smiled, “She said they were “wonderful””.

Tony nodded in approval, a grin coming to his face, happy with his objective.

“I’m going to sleep for a bit and head back to the hospital. Becky’s parents are there. If you’re not busy, you should come.” Steve smiled.

“Well, we’ll see… but thanks,” he said hesitantly. It puzzled Steve, but he nodded. “So… You contacted her parents. That was a good move.” Steve’s looked at him funny, “Are things still, “Complicated” between you two?” Tony half teased.

Steve grinned, “Yes, and no,” he replied ambiguously.

“Well, I just hope she gets better… and I hope she joins our team. Try and put in a good word, will ya?”

Steve half grinned, “I can’t make her do what she doesn’t want to do, Tony,” he paused, “There’s a lot on her plate right now. You heard the doctor.”

“Right – Well, enjoy your new ride!” pointing to the truck, “and Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and I’ll see if I can swing by the hospital sometime soon.”

* * *

Steve straightened his navy-blue jacket as he waited in the hospital elevator to get onto Becky’s floor. Once the doors opened, he observed the surroundings and saw the small amount of medical staff on hand, but paid it no mind as he made a beeline straight to Becky’s room. He stopped while in the hallway just outside the door because he was startled by the sounds he heard… not ones he expected… There were conversations going on, and “_laughter?”_ He blinked a couple of times, and his heart let go of any and all anxiety as he walked in.

After taking a few steps, he stopped in his tracks observing the sight around him. He saw Becky’s parents laughing with the nurse and Becky, still in a hospital gown, but was wearing a Santa hat. It looked adorable on her, and she was smiling at her parents. He had been so quiet, that no one noticed that he was in the room yet. He loved what he saw, and a warm feeling grew in his chest, whatever it was, it was right.

There were Tony’s poinsettias colouring up the room, green and white tinsel intertwined along the perimeter of Becky’s bed, and multicoloured Christmas lights along the perimeter of the huge window overlooking the city. In the corner was a 5 foot tall tree with white lights on it. It was plain but it all cheered up to room very much. 

It was the prettiest Christmas morning that he had every seen, even if it was in a hospital, he thought when he heard Becky’s voice, “Steve… I was wondering when you were going to get here!” Her face lit up as she spoke and he couldn’t hide the smile on his face. Everyone else in the room turned to him.

“We were about to go downstairs to the chapel to celebrate. Come with us, Steve!” voiced Michelle, Allen looked over and nodded at him with a happy grin on his face. Steve smiled widely, it warmed his heart to be included in something as a family. It had been so long since he could with his own. Steve assisted Becky into her wheelchair, and all four of them made their way downstairs. The chapel was decorated beautifully, there were feelings of joy spread about the space, it really was a beautiful morning. Steve would steal glances over at Becky as they would sing carols. She looked like she had more colour in her face, she sang but had stopped a few times to catch her breath. At the end he helped her back in her wheelchair where they all went back to the room. Michelle and Allen smiled at him.

“Thank you again Steve for calling us,” Michelle said emotionally, “This holiday turned out differently than we planned it,” she paused, “It was just going to be us, two’’ pointing to Allen. “Rebecca was never really a party animal, but not having her – the house has been so much quieter.” He nodded; his eyes bright – worried that what she meant was she would be going away to live with them from now on.

Steve and Allen helped Becky back into her bed, she brought the blanket up to her chest and adjusted her Santa hat, wagging the white pom-pom at the end playfully, a smile on her face and a little giggle escaping her lips. It echoed in Steve’s mind, he loved to see her this happy.

“Becky, your mom and I are heading back to the house. We’ve got a turkey in the oven that will be ready soon, and we’ll be bringing the food over to have Christmas dinner here!”

“We’ll be back soon,” Michelle said, “Make sure you look after her while we’re gone, Steve.” She teased, with a smile on her face.

Steve broke into yet another smile, he looked gorgeous and didn’t even know it. “Yes, ma’am!”

Once they had gone, the nurse came in and made sure she was correctly hooked up to the monitors and her IV. Steve admired how they had done the room, all the colours created a very warm and inviting holiday feeling once you stepped in it, you’d almost forget you were in a hospital.

Steve was not the best at expressing his emotions, but he smiled more when he was with her. “Becky, how are you feeling since I was here last?”  
  


“Well, I have noticed I have bit more energy,” she paused, “I am still sore and after moving around I get tired. This was the first time I got out of bed since….” her voice tapered off and her smile went away, “being shot.” She said as she looked away from him.

“Yeah,” he sighed, “Well, there’s improvement… and that’s important, Doll,” she looked back at him, no one had ever called her “Doll” before, recalling he’s over 100 years old. “Did you want me to go?” she frowned and looked at him puzzled, “Did you want this time to just spend with your family?” he asked.

“Steve…” she said concerned, “Ummm…. You are spending today with us, right?” she paused.

“Well,” he straightened up in his chair, “I didn’t just want to assume…”

She looked at him, eyes shining and half grin on her face, “You know…” she paused, “You are welcome and wanted here, Steve.” She said so softly it pierced his heart, his eyes were shining as well. This feeling reaching out to something deep inside his soul, he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

Steve grinned, holding back his emotions as she had struck a cord within him, he wanted to hold her but thought against it. “It’s really nice…” she looked at him inquisitively, “to be able to do things as a family.” He said looking down at his shoes, “You know… since I came back. I’ve been looking for… “

“What?” she asked softly.

Steve sighed, “A home,” he said looking up from his shoes and back into her eyes, his voice soft but deep and warm. “Not necessarily a place… but somewhere I… Belong”.

Becky reached out her left hand and lightly placed it on his shoulder to sooth him. “Well, today… you belong with us…” She leaned in close to him and she softly blinked, then glanced down at his lips for a brief moment, and then back into his eyes. Steve gulped hard, he had faced off against evil war criminals, faced certain death, but when it came to women – he was scared. He gulped hard again as she leaned in yet a little closer. Her scent radiating from her pheromone glands and the captivating stare she gave him sent a pleasant shiver down his spine.

They were about to lean into a kiss when a nurse came through the entrance way.

“Hello, Ms. Morrison, “she paused seeing both of them so close together, “Am I interrupting anything?” They both leaned back and looked away from each other, “Well, Ms. Morrison, it’s time for your sponge bath,” she turned to Steve, “Please leave the room to give us privacy.” He reluctantly nodded and left the room as his protective instincts started to kick in again.

Steve waited in the hallway until he was given the ok to go back inside, he immediately noticed Becky not as cheerful as she was before, “Becky, what’s wrong?” as he saw her wince with her eyes closed.

Becky sighed, “Well, because I have to wash, I have to move in awkward and painful ways… my injuries don’t help.” Steve nodded as he understood. “It hurts… my wounds haven’t healed yet.” She leaned forward and took a cup of water from off the table and started drinking. “Do you mind if I nap for a bit? I took some medicine that makes me drowsy.”

“Of course,” he smiled kindly, “I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

She smiled back at him and fell asleep.

* * *

Becky woke up to the smell of turkey and gravy… “Mmm…food” she thought. The there was a smell of cinnamon and pine… “Mmmm…. Alpha” she also thought as she slowly opened her eyes. She saw Steve and her dad moving more tables and chairs into their room, “Hey… What are you doing?”

Michelle chimed in, “You’re awake, honey!” She said as she put down a silver coloured tray wrapped in tin foil and placed it down on the table. “We just got back with the food,” she said taking off her oven mitts. “Your dad and Steve are grabbing more tables and chairs so we can all squeeze in and sit together.”

“Oh Mom!” she exclaimed, “Thank you for doing all of this!” Then she saw her dad come into view, holding and carrying one end of a table and Steve carrying the other, they both made eye contact with her and a smile came to her face from seeing them all working together as a team. They were able to place half the table on wheels over Becky’s bed and legs, so she didn’t have to be in a chair, and her mom created a delicious table spread.

Once they were all seat, Michelle piped up, “Before we start… Rebecca, would you like to say Grace?”

Everyone turned to her, Becky smiled warmly and nodded and started, “God, thank you for this day. Thank you for this celebration, for our lives, for this food, for family, new friends and…” she paused thoughtfully, “to know that… we belong.” A smile came to her face.

“That was wonderful, Sweetie Pie,’’ Allen said.

She smiled at him and then turned to her mom, “What are having Mom?”

“Well,” she paused, “I was a little bit enthusiastic since we got word from Steve that you were back… I may have gone overboard.” She said trying to be modest as she listed all the items, “and for dessert I made cheesecake with cherries and baked apples with cinnamon and sugar.”

Steve’s eyes lift up and immediately looked over at Becky, she looked at him and played coy, “What?” she said sheepishly. Steve just stared at her; he knew she said something to her mom. It was a very sweet gesture. 

Then Allen spoke up, “Yeah Michelle, why did you make these? You never made them before,” totally blowing whatever little cover Becky might have had. She wanted to do a facepalm on herself.

“Daaaaad!” she said annoyed.

Steve snickered seeing her squirm, he could see the wheels in her head turning, her jaw clenching. He leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Thank you, Becky.” With a small smile on his face. It sent a shiver down her spine.

Then they heard footsteps walk into the room, it was Tony.

“Tony!” Becky called, “You’re here! Merry Christmas!”

“Thank you, you too little missy,” he replied with a grin, he looked around at the amazing spread, as well as the lights and flowers and the tree in the room. “I like your hat!” he pointed.

Michelle piped in, “Mr. Stark, come and have dinner with us.”

“Oh, I couldn’t – I ate already.” He started to walk away.

“But Tony, you’re already here” Becky smiled widely at him, once look at her doing that and it melted him from the inside, he couldn’t say no. “Alright,” he said pulling up a chair, “This will be a good team building exercise,’’ he teased.

Steve rolled his eyes.

Michelle raised an eyebrow, “A team building exercise?”

Tony was sitting beside Allen, “Oh, Becky didn’t tell you?” he glanced at her surprised, “Well Mr. and Mrs. Morrison, I offered your daughter a job.”

Michelle’s eyes brightened as she looked over at Becky, “Oh! What an opportunity!”

Becky swallowed hard and took a deep breath. Steve’s instincts kicked in, “Omega is displeased,” he glanced over at the monitors to see her heartrate starting to go up again.

Becky smiled through it all and gently said, “Yes, it certainly is a rare… opportunity… I just need some time to get better Mr. Stark.”

“Oh! I don’t need an answer right away. Take as much time as you need.” For some reason, she just didn’t believe him, but decided to let that go and discuss it for another day.

“Did you have any other plans for tonight, Tony?” Becky asked.

Tony looked away, his expression softer, which she did not expect to see. “No…” he said abruptly and quietly, which did not sound like the usual him. “Plans fell through to be honest…”

Becky half grinned, “Well, Tony I’m glad you’re here then. Everyone is welcome. Everyone belongs here at this table.” She said with a wide smile that brightened up the room.

Then there was a knock at the door, everyone turned their attention to the entrance of the room. There was a little girl standing in the doorway by herself, holding a small teddy bear. She looked to be about 8 years old.

“Hello there!” Becky said, “Merry Christmas little one.” She said warmly, “Did Santa give you that teddy bear?”

The little girl nodded.

“I haven’t seen you here before, what brings you over here?” Becky’s voice light.

“My mommy had to go to work and I didn’t want to be alone.” Her little voice cut through the air and straight to her heart. The little girl stepped forward and upon a closer look they realized that this little girl had burn scars on her face and hands.

Becky fought off getting teary-eyed in front of the little one, “Well, you came to the right place.” She felt her protective instincts kick in, “We’re right about to eat, are you hungry?” Steve grabbed another chair, “Here, come sit next to me. My mom is one of the best cooks in the world,” Michelle smiled at the little girl as she approached and sat down in the chair, “You can stay until you mom comes back. Here, you can have my hat.” She placed it on the little girl’s head and she smiled at Becky, “Looks great on you. If you like it, you can have it as a present,’’ she smiled warmly.

Before you knew it, more people came into the entrance. They were curious about these delicious smells coming from this particular room. People who would be going through hard times alone, suffering with pain: an elderly man, a teenager going through cancer treatment, another child, a single mom, a veteran… Some of the nurses would come in and have some food while on break and everyone got to know each other. There was enough food to go around. The table got bigger and bigger, and people who would otherwise be strangers, became grateful friends. Telling stories, telling jokes, enjoying great companionship. It was the best Christmas the family ever had.

At the end of the night, the guests commented on how much this unexpected evening brightened up their stay at this hospital, and gave them more comfort in knowing their neighbours. There was more happiness and internal strength given to everyone who sat at that table. Everyone felt changed for the better.

After most people had gone, Tony came over to Becky and sighed, “What do you want me to do with nanomachine technology?”

She looked down and paused, “What do you think is the right thing to do with it, Tony?” she said softly looking back into his chocolate coloured eyes. He cleared his throat and looked away, unsure what to say…Again, not like his usual self at all.

“Ah… I’ll think about it,” he said taking a sip on another drink.

“Tony…” she smiled.

He sighed, looking back at her, “Just…” he was not good at all with emotions… and he was feeling A LOT at that moment, “Just focus on getting better, will ya little missy.”

“Alright,” she grinned, “Deal” she shook his hand. “Have a good night. Thanks for coming out.”

Steve and Allen went outside to get some fresh air, “Steve, tomorrow… is David’s funeral.” Steve turned to him, concerned. “Becky doesn’t know it yet…” he said hesitantly. “We didn’t tell her yet, she was having such a good day. It’s tomorrow morning. So…ah…I think it’s best you go home tonight and maybe give her some space for tomorrow.”

Steve frowned, but understood where he was coming from and nodded.

“She’ll call you when she’s ready for company.” Allen said, “But… Thank you for everything. Bringing her back to us, you and Tony! This is… life-changing for myself and my wife.”

Steve went back upstairs and walked over to Becky, the room still festive and warm. “Hey…” he crouched down to her eye-level. “I’m going to head on home, get a good night’s sleep. Call me when you want me to come by, alright.” Not letting on about what her dad told him.

“Of course, Steve! Thanks, for being here. It wouldn’t have been the same without you.” She smiled.

He smiled warmly at her, hearing her say that meant the world to him. He took a deep breath in, he leaned in and gave her a small kiss on her forehead. “Goodnight,’’ and he turned and walked back to Stark tower.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time our of your day to read my work. I'm so excited to bring you another chapter! More chapters are in the works!
> 
> Please leave a kudo if you are enjoying the story so far, it really motivates me to keep going and get this story told :)
> 
> I hope you enjoy the bonding that goes on between Becky and Steve in this one, he is a real sweetie and I just love him so much and Becky is just one tough chick! The level of emotional bonding goes up quiet a bit here with tough issues from their past coming to a head, more ahead in future chapters. I'm excited to bring more to you. 
> 
> Going through my days, I think a lot about these characters and sometimes I hear songs that make me think, "Oh this reminds me of this chapter, or what this character is experiencing. So, I'm thinking about ways of including a song per chapter (at some point). 
> 
> I hope you are all doing well, and thank you again for reading my story. 
> 
> Lots of love - Dee

Steve parked his truck outside the hospital, it was a cloudy afternoon with a chill in the air. He was wearing the coat that Becky bought him, he wanted to wear it as he could still detect her scent on the fabric. He took a deep breath before entering, calming his nerves. He wasn’t sure what to expect. David’s funeral was a couple of days ago, and he wasn’t sure how she was feeling. She called him and asked if they could hang out or go somewhere not far, as she was getting a bit of cabin fever from staying in the hospital for so long. She had and idea, as did he, but wasn’t sure if she would be game for it. He wanted to keep it as a nice surprise.

“Hi Becky,” entering the room to find her bundled up in a black jacket and a red scarf, her long wavy brown hair over her shoulders. Her mother made some last-minute touches to her hair, Becky rolled her eyes and lighted batted her mom’s hand away in slight annoyance. “Are you ready to go… Becky?”

She smiled back at him, and nodded “Yes! Yes, I am!”

“Make sure she’s back before midnight, Steve!” Michelle teased.

He nodded, “Yes, Ma’am”, big grin on his face. He looked at Becky leaning forward with both hands on her red walker, wearing black leather gloves that her mom got her for Christmas and a big smile for him. His heart fluttered seeing her dimples and genuine smile. He walked with her slowly down the hall, all the way to the elevator. They made small talk until the elevator door closed.

She turned her head towards him, “I love you,” she smiled.

He turned his whole body towards her and looked into her eyes holding her gaze, “And I love you.” As he leaned down and kissed her forehead. Becky could feel heat starting to accumulate in her cheeks, he actually made her blush. She couldn’t keep the smile from coming to her face. “So,” she paused, “Did you bring them?”

He raised his eyebrows excited, a wide grin appearing on his face, “Yes… I did, doll.”

Her smile went wider with glee, her dimples showing. Steve could hear the voice within him say, “Omega is pleased.”

“Well…” she paused slightly out of breath already, “I hope my body can handle it. I hope that there isn’t too much excitement for one night.” She readjusted her leather gloves and held back onto her walker.

Just then the elevator door opened to hospital underground parking. Steve walked over to her side car door and opened it for her. He folded her walker and placed it in the back on the floor. He closed the back door to see that she still hadn’t gone in yet. He stared at her perplexed.

“Can I see it?” her voice sounding playful.

“See what?”

Her eyes darted to the backseat window, “How you made the backseat.” A slight grin developing, a mischievous look in her eye. He could see her cheeks were getting a bit redder as she smiled. She wasn’t receiving artificial hormones when outside the hospital, he had to think about how he wanted to go about doing this more carefully than he originally thought.

He took a deep breath, his massive chest and shoulders moving up and down, “Well, once you’re in the front, you can look back. It’s for later…” a smile coming to his face. She nodded, and unexpectedly opened the back door with one hand and grabbed a pillow and started hitting him with it, laughing hysterically.

“Whoa! What?... Becky!” he put his hands up over his head and started laughing. That pillow fight lasted about 5 seconds before Becky had to put the pillow back as she was completely out of air. She was huffing and puffing and gasping, those bullets injuries took a lot out of her, even if she didn’t want to admit it. She was smiling through the gasping and catching her breath. Steve put his hands on his hips, and smiled. He loved her playfulness and spontaneous nature. “You know… If you’re not good… I’m going to have you take you home to your mama,’’ he teased.

She laughed, still catching her breath, “Oh, no! I wouldn’t want that. We haven’t even left the parking lot yet.”

Steve’s eyes scanned her, smile still on his face. He looked over at the truck and then back at her, “Ready to go… Darling?”

“You know it!” she winked at him, then she saw how high she would have to jump to get inside the front seat of the truck. She winced and tried to pull herself up, Steve clued in and immediately helped her inside and closed all the doors on her side and jumped in and started driving.

She turned around to see what was in the backseat and smiled at what she saw. The backseat had a little glow in the dark stars on the roof, along with two pillows, and two blankets – one on the bottom covering the seats and one folded at the side. Her smile turned into a grin, again the voice inside Steve let him know, _Omega is pleased._

Steve beamed at her expression, “You like it?” he said biting his lip with anticipation.

She turned back to him slowly, “Mayyyybe…” Becky turned around and looked out the window, smile on her face as it was snowing lightly and the sky was getting darker. The city lights luminated the city, white lights wrapped around ordinary city trees, creating a warm feeling about the city. She narrowed her eyebrows in thought and turned to Steve, “So,” she paused, “When did Captain America get his driver’s license anyway?”

Steve perked up proudly, “For the motorcycle 1940, for the truck, right after Christmas young lady!”

“Wait, so… Are you just learning how to drive this monster boat now!?”

“Relax doll,” a side boyish grin appearing on his face.

“Driving a motorcycle and driving a full-sized truck, especially in New York City, is completely different!”

“Oh, then I suppose YOU want to drive?” he teased.

“Ah!” she narrowed her eyebrows, mouth agape and offended, “As a matter of fact, I do!”

He started chuckling to himself, mission accomplished.

“Why are you laughing? That’s not funny!” she playfully slapped his arm, only to make him snicker more. She loved his smile, but didn’t want to show it. She worked hard to keep her face serious as she still smiled while watching the road, “tsk-tsk…Troublemaker,’’ she uttered as she dramatically turned her head to look out the passenger window. He liked to tease her; it was fun.

“We’re here… I just gotta find a place to park,’’ he started looking around.

She chuckled to herself, “That’s a big problem here.”

“Ah!” he said with relief, “Found one, right ahead!”

“You have good vision, that spot is blurry to me from here!”

“Super solider serum.” He replied.

After he reversed in successfully, she nodded with approval. He backed in well, considering he hadn’t had much practice. “So, since this is your plan first. What are we doing here?” she inquired.

He got out of the truck and took her red walker and unfolded it for her. He assisted her sliding down from the truck onto the ground as it was a bit slippery outside. One arm around his neck and one arm around her back. He smiled at her as she took the handles of her walker and the started making their way down the street.

“This is the Rockefeller Centre!” she exclaimed, “Look at that huge Christmas tree!” she pointed to it. It was indeed huge, lots of multicoloured lights and big star on top. Many people were out skating circles around the rink out front, venders selling hot drinks and snacks. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she smiled.

“Yes,” he looked over at her, “Like you…” he whispered. She turned her face to him; she was surprised to see that he actually looked shy to say that. He definitely looked nervous. “I always wanted to…” he paused and shook his head and started over, “What I mean is… I never got to do this before…and ahh...” she kept looking at him, “I always wanted to go skating with a girl here… and I ahh… never got the chance.” He paused, “In fact, I didn’t think I would make it this far…”

Again, her heart felt this stretch, a warmth in her chest, numbness fading away, feeling more than she thought she could, her heart almost fluttering. It was uncomfortable, but beautiful with how honest and hopeful and nervous he was, all at once. She wanted to lean in and kiss him to ease his mind, but knew that wouldn’t be the right time. He wouldn’t mentally absorb it. She grinned at him, “Steven Rogers,” he immediately stopped talking, no woman has called him his full name unless it was his mother or unless he was in trouble. “I would love to skate with you, but…” she looked down at her walker and looked back at him.

“Oh, yes… I have a plan for that!” he said quickly. “Come with me,” and he turned around and started walking towards the rink. In front of a rink was a small waterfall, the noise of running water soothed her, and behind the waterfall was the huge Christmas tree. On each side of the rink and waterfall were rows of angels with trumpets. It was much nicer to see it all up close. Steve turned back to her, “Sit and wait here. I will be right back.”

“Ok,” she replied, taking a seat on a bench. She looked around at the people with their children and friends skating around the rink. There were carols being played and the atmosphere was almost magically as the little snowflakes started falling on her hair and eyelashes. Thankfully it was dark outside. She would still sometimes get headaches from the concussion and still had sensitivity to light, that’s why she wanted to go out later in the day when the sun wasn’t out.

Steve came back with a smile for her as he came into view, she looked down to see two pairs of skates, one in each of his hands. She started to feel a little nervous, she didn’t want to bring her walker with her on the ice and she thought she would look ridiculous. She looked at the skates and back at him questioning his choice of activity. He just smiled back at her and sat down beside her as he was putting on his skates. He handed her pair to her, she looked down at her feet questioning how to bend to put them on, as the bullet holes in her chest still were repairing and leaning down hurt so much. She stayed quiet, trying to mentally find a solution when he stood in front of her. He smiled and got down on his knees and took her skates and started placing her foot inside.

This looked eerily similar to when he was trying to untie her ankles from the chair when they were rescuing her only to become fixated on her scent between her legs. That image flashed in her mind and she immediately reacted by forcing her knees together, tensing up. Steve stopped and just looked up at her sighing, “Can you please just let me do this for you, Becky?” his eyes almost disappointed.

This brought her back to reality, “Yeah, sorry.” She relaxed her knees and he was able to lace up her skates on both feet. He reached out her hand for her to help herself up. “So… What do we do now?” she said unsure how the next few minutes were going to turn out. “Do I bring my walker with me?”

“No, I’m going to be your walker doll,” he grinned, his eyes shiny.

She felt her cheeks get warm, “Maybe I should’ve brought a helmet. I don’t want another concussion,” she said nervously.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you won’t fall,” he smiled.

“But… How?”

He took her hand and brought her to the edge of the rink. She looked at the ice and became scared, “I’ve never been good at skating, Steve. How are we going to do this?”

“Let me take the lead,” he whispered. He stepped onto the ice and took both her arms in a firm grip, as she made her way onto the icy surface. “Ok, turn around.” She shot him a look, questioning his reasoning, “You’ll see,” he smiled, “Please trust me. I won’t let you fall.” He paused, “And if we fall, then I’ll fall first and you can fall on top of me.”

She started laughing, “Ah hem…” she grinned, blushing. He grinned as her response.

She finally turned around slowly, so he was facing her back. He looked down to accurately place both of his large hands on her hips. He could feel her breath hitch and then go back to normal. “Ok, always keep your knees slightly bent and have your shoulders slightly forward, and I’ll push and break.” She nodded, showing she understood… and they were off.

She was nervous at first, thinking this wasn’t a good idea. Now she was feeling the cool wind grazing over her warm skin on her cheeks. Her hair starting to float behind her in the wind, no doubt probably hitting Steve in the face. She slightly turned her face to make eye contact with him, his eyes were bright, “Is my hair bothering you, flying in the wind like that?”

“No, I love it doll,” he said warmly, “It’s so soft.” A smile coming to his face. She was flattered for sure. Being in the hospital didn’t make her feel very pretty, hospital gowns, tubes and needles in your arms, she was really looking forward to even having some fresh air instead of being cooped up in the same building for so long. She would look to the side and see one of Steve’s legs get into position to push off and take them further across the rink. “Are you having fun Becky?”

She looked back at him smiling, “Yes!”

This made him happy, he couldn’t hold back another smile. This felt right. “Omega is pleased,” the voice inside him said. When she wasn’t looking, he bit his lip as the wind lifted a piece of her long hair exposing her pheromone glands, her scent carried by the breeze, going directly into his face. “Mmmm…” he could almost imagine how delightful a kiss from her would taste. He couldn’t think about that right now, he had to make sure she didn’t slip or she would never want to go skating again. He could feel her breathing all of a sudden become more intense and frequent.

“Becky?” he slowed down until he came to a complete stop. “Are you ok?” he looked at her concerned.

“I…” she looked at him out of breath. “I feel tired. I think my heart is beating too fast,” She started to slowly fall to her knees.

“Whoa!” he lifted her up from the ice and back onto her feet and skated back to where she left her walker. “Don’t worry, I’ll take you back,” he said reassuringly. His expression soft and caring, he looked like an angel.

She smiled at him, “Don’t worry, I think this was a very fun idea. I’m sorry I just can’t last long. Maybe when I’m better, we could do this again?” She paused as she got off the ice and sat down at the bench. “Not bad for a girl who took two bullets to the chest, right?” with a half smile on her face. He got on his knees in front of her again to take off her skates, almost looking like a knight in shining armour kneeling before a queen. She frowned, “I disappointed you, didn’t I?”

Steve stopped and stared at her “No, you were fantastic, Becky. You’re recovery, I’m so proud of yo…” he looked around, “Hey…” he frowned, “Where is your walker?” he paused, “Did somebody take your walker?” A hint of anger in his voice.

She looked around wide-eyed, “Well, it’s red so it’s easy to spot, but who would steal a walker?”

Steve growled, “It was NOT their’s to take,” he was getting very protective.

“Oh Steve,” Becky looked around some more. “Not only is my walker missing, but so are my shoes…” she cringed.

He gasped and his jaw dropped at the nerve of whoever moved it or took it. He scanned his eyes around the area looking for anyone who looked suspicious, nothing. Everything seemed normal. He was very annoyed. His face started to look red.

“Steve…” she called out to him, but he was still looking around, eyebrows narrowed. “Steve…” he turned around immediately, “It’s ok,” she paused, “Let’s just get back to the truck.”

He frowned; another date let down. He took a deep breath and walked back to Becky. “I’m sorry, doll.”

“It’s alright, Steve. I guess the person who took it really must’ve needed it if also took my shoes too.” She lightly joked. That was a good way of looking at it, “Isn’t Christmas about giving after all?” a slight smile across her face.

  
He scoffed, “Yeah… Giving… Not TAKING!” he shook his head in disapproval.

“Well, nothing we can do about it now.” She sighed. When they made eye contact again, she started smiling at him.

“What?” he was puzzled.

“Feel like having a workout?” she teased, “Take me to the truck.”

Both his eyebrows raised in agreement, “Yes ma’am,” scolding himself for not doing it earlier. The wind was starting to bite and she was only in her socks now. He knew she must be feeling the cold.

With one hand he could hold her and keep her feet off the ground, while opening her door with the other. He placed her inside the front seat. Once she was all settled, she smiled at him, “Thank you.” He smiled back and closed the door and walked to the other side of the truck and got in. Becky had caught her breath and was breathing normally again.

“Did you want to go back to the hospital?”

“No, it’s too early. I’m sorry I couldn’t skate longer,’’ he turned and looked at her, “Just not strong enough or healed enough yet.”

“Ahh, that’s alright doll.”

“I’m sure it didn’t turn out the way you dreamed of,” she said in a lower, sadder tone.

He took a breath in, “Doll, all the moments I have with you are special, and yes… it was BETTER than what I dreamed of.” She looked over at him, seeing only the profile of his face, as he was watching the road and saw the sincerity of his expression.

“Steve,” she called out to him, voice in a higher pitch.  
  


“Yeah, doll?” he looked over at her briefly and then back at the road.

“Do you wanna get a hot chocolate with me?” she asked.

“Yes, I think that’s a great idea!” He said scanning the road. “Are you cold?” he asked concerned.

“Not too bad,” she responded.

Remembering she had no shoes anymore, “Well… How are we going to get that if you don’t have shoes on?”

“Well,” she thought for a moment, “We could go and get drive-thru…”

“What’s a drive-thru?” he looked confused.

“Um… Oh boy…” she sighed, imagining how this was going to turn out. “Time for an adventure with Steve Rogers annnd Becky Morrison.” She teased in a radio announcer voice.

“Very funny,” he said leaning back in his seat feeling a bit embarrassed.

“That’s what you get for teasing me earlier,” he looked over at her and she winked at him.

* * *

They pulled up to the drive-thru, Steve didn’t know what to make of all the pictures and things on the menu. He was reading the list when he thought he heard muffled sounds.

“Steve!” Becky yelled, “Roll down the window!”

“Oh,” he looked down at all the buttons, “How?”

Becky sighed and undid her seat beat and crawled across his lap to see the controls, Steve DID NOT expect her to do that. He was mesmerized by having this dame resting her torso on his lap, as she rolled down the window and brought her head over the door, “Hi, can I please have two hot chocolates please?” a hint of annoyance in her voice.

“Would that be all?”

“Yes, please,”

“Becky… The box is talking…” she put her head down trying to compose herself and prevent breaking into a laughing fit.

“Ok, drive up please…”

She couldn’t help it anymore, she started laughing like she hadn’t laughed in a long time. Elbows still propped on Steve’s thigh, her head in her hands.

He drove ahead to the window, “I’ll get it!” she grabbed her change, still having a hard time controlling her laughter, when they got up to the window the clerk was shocked to see this woman spread across both front seats.

Steve turned to the cashier a bright red in the face, “Ahh…” not sure what to say, as Becky was still roaring with laughter. She gave them the money and got the drinks. He shook his head and drove.

“It’s not that funny, Becky…” he said softly.

She turned to him, to see the most endearing expression of embarrassment. “Yes, it was… To me… But don’t worry… I won’t tell Tony. It’ll be between you and me.” She smiled and wiggled her way back into her seat.

* * *

Steve reversed parked his truck in a mall parking lot. “Ok, let’s get you some new shoes. No girl of mine is going out with no shoes!” he said a hint of defiance in his voice. “Here, put these on…” she looked on the floor to see Steve had taken off his shoes and have them to her.

She gasped, “No, Steve!”

“Becky, put them on.” His authoritative voice coming out… _His Alpha voice coming out_ and slightly turning her on.

“But Steve, what are you going to wear? It’s cold and wet out there!” she said concerned.

“I’m a solider,” he said flatly.

“Yeah,” she said deeper, “Well, so am I.”

He leaned in closer, her pupils got bigger the closer he got, his scent closing in, reaching her in ways she wanted. She almost licked her lips in front of him, but refrained. “Put them on until we get inside. I’ll get you new boots...” Again, her heart felt warm, that same stretching feeling, it hurt but it felt good at the same time, she bit her bottom lip and looked away. His stare was too intense, he was not compromising on this. “And a walker… a better one… A different colour if you want too.”

She looked down at his huge shoes, “These are going to fit like clown shoes on me. I’m sure I will be more likely to slip since they don’t fit properly…” she looked back up at him, her look slightly suggestive, “I propose, you put your shoes on and carry me to the door. That way I walk inside with dry feet as well as yourself, everyone wins.” She grinned.

He couldn’t argue with that, she was smart, and he liked that. He smiled back at her, “Ok, ready to go, darling?” She grinned at him again.

* * *

They got Becky some new winter boots and decided to grab some dinner in the food court of the mall. It was a little bit nosey, but they found a quiet corner table and sat across from each other, where they could relax a little bit.

“It’s nothing fancy, it’s nothing like my MRE’s – of course… gourmet chef over here,” she said jokingly pointing at herself, smirk on her face.

He smiled back, “Yeah, I can’t get over the prices of things though.”

“Yeah,” she sighed, “You’ll get used to it.” She paused, “It must look so expensive to you, but wages went up, so that’s a good thing.” She paused, “But still… It must be so tough…” she said looking into his eyes.

“What’s tough?” he asked.

“Well, you know… You waking up to another world. Same city you grew up in and in a different time. Looks like you could compare to how it was.” She paused, “I’m sorry…” her face turned sour.

He leaned forward in his chair, “What? What for?” concerned.

She frowned as her eyes watered, “To come back right from fighting a world war… Fighting to make life better, only to wake up and find here that… it isn’t. There’s so many things wrong with the world.”

“Ahhh, things would’ve been worse if we didn’t fight that’s for sure. Things aren’t so bad,” he said lightheartedly.

“How so?” she asked.

“Well, for starters, the food is a lot better, we used to boil everything, and I don’t think you would like that.”  
  


She smirked, “You’re probably right, I probably wouldn’t,” as she took another bite into her sandwich.

“Actually, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you…”

She raised her eyebrows and stopped taking a sip of her drink, “Ok,”

“Would you be my… ah… date… to Tony’s New Years Eve party at Stark Tower?” he looked away shy, nervous of the answer.

“Yes…” there was silence afterwards.

He looked into her eyes, “Yes?”

“Absolutely,” she smiled warmly at him.

Then out of the corner of her eyes she saw a dark shadow standing close to her, it looked like a piece of leather, like Fury’s jacket. She jumped in her seat and turned in it’s direction, only to find it disappear.

“Becky!” She looked back at Steve in horror to see his face all battered and bruised, she was shocked! Blood dripping from his cuts, his eye and lips swollen. He started speaking like nothing was wrong, “Hey… Are you ok?” he leaned in more concerned.

“Steve!” her voice quivering, “You’re hurt…” eyes watering.  
  


“No, I’m not,” he replied softly, still black and blue on his face, scabs and scratches.

She looked around the food court again for Fury, and only saw regular people. She swallowed hard and looked back down at her food. Steve was already up and out of his chair at this point and had put his big arms around her.

“Becky, look at me…” she couldn’t, she was so afraid, her hair on the back of her neck standing on end, “Look at me,’’ he whispered in her ear. She slowly caught her breath and looked up at his face, only to see his regular face from before. All signs of physical trauma gone! Her body went limp with relief, her muscles relaxed and her heartrate went down.

“Steve,” she held onto him tightly. “I don’t want people looking at me, I don’t wanna make a commotion. I’m embarrassed.”

He nodded, “You wanna eat your food? Wanna leave? We can leave if you want to.” He said still holding her tightly.

“I thought I saw Fury,” she shivered in his arms, tears forming in her eyes as she winced.

He kissed her cheek, “No, he’s locked up. No one lays a hand on you like that ever again. Not while I’m around.”

“Please help me,” he held onto her tighter and helped her back down into her chair.

He crouched down and looked up at her. “Are you alright, Becky?”

She looked around, “I think…” she looked around again and then back into Steve’s eyes, “I feel like the people we put down, will come back from the dead… They’ll come for me.”

He frowned, “Becky…”

“He’ll come back to kill me, Steve…”

“No, it’s just your mind. It’s the fear…”

“But…” she gasped, “It’s like my body is warning me,” she whispered. “Is this real?”

He grabbed her hand and held it tightly in his, and in one of most heart-felt ways looked into her eyes with a calmness of a of a beautiful summer sky, “I’m real,” he whispered back.

“Steve… I’m afraid,” she could barely speak.

“Don’t be afraid… No one can touch you now.” His deep blue eyes sinking into her quaking heart.

She started regulating her breathing, “I’m sorry… I ruined our date.”

He stared at her wide-eyed, “No, you didn’t sweetheart. I’ve seen this from men I fought with in war. Your mind, it needs to heal. It’ll work out. It’ll be ok, I promise.” He whispered. “Hey, we’ll take this food to go. I’ll get your new walker set up and we’ll head back to the truck ok?”

“Ok…” she whispered back.

“That’s good, Becky.”

“Everything changes so quickly…” her eyes scanning the food court again.

“I know, sweetheart. It’s not something that many people understand. You’ll be stronger for it later. I promise.”

And with that they left together and he drove back to the hospital. The red lights from the backs of other cars illuminated the interior of the truck, it was a smooth ride with a little bit of traffic but they didn’t mind each other’s company. She was quiet for a bit, and then looked at him driving. He was so beautiful to her, “I’m sorry my mind goes to dark places sometimes, Steve.”

He looked at her with concern in his eyes, and then back on the road, “There’s nothing to be sorry for. We all get these thoughts sometimes. When we fight, and come back, most people are not the same… and you know what, doll? That’s ok.” His voice was so soothing. “So, what did you do in the military anyways?”

She tilted her head down as it was a bit of a triggering subject matter, “You won’t be impressed. I was a clerk.” She paused, “I had gone to school, got a business degree and didn’t have much stability in the private sector so I took an opportunity there. Thought I would see the world, even though I had a boyfriend at home.” She paused and her lip quivered, but she continued while her voice remained steady, “There was more pay if you went overseas. Now my position was relatively safe, but our section would pitch in if hostiles decided to breach our already established perimeter… and believe me that happened more than twice in my 6 months there. It was scary, but nothing could prepare me for the betrayal of our supervisor and commanding officers.” She paused, looking at the lights. Steve knew she was trying to tell him what happened. He didn’t want to upset her by telling her he already knew or that Tony knew. Then again, what she says might be completely different than what was reported in her file. He glanced over at her, she was silent, looking down into her lap, looking to find the right words.

“It’s ok, doll…” he said with sincerity.

“I don’t know if I can serve again, either with Tony’s team or the military now. I don’t know if I can ever trust again. It was brutal, I was never the same person again.” She swallowed hard, “My commanding officer, got me alone. Said he wanted to get to know the members of his team more, told me it helped make him a “better boss” … Yeah…” she took a deep breath in. “I lost track of the times he assaulted me, just so beaten down from within. Had no fight left in me… and it’s weird… On his desk, this guy had a wife at home,’’ she looked over at Steve, “And two children… I couldn’t understand why…” she paused again, “I don’t know… There was one time only when he was vulnerable… He had been drinking and he looked sad. He called me in 15 minutes before my shift ended, offered me a Brandi, which I didn’t take. He looked like he needed to talk… So I figured I owed it to myself to find out why he did this to me. Damn whatever the outcome. So, I asked…” she looked down in her lap again, “And… He was quiet, but his eyes shifted with panic and fear… I never saw him like this before… I almost felt sorry for him. So I asked a deeper question, I asked,” she took a couple of deep breaths to compose herself, “You’ve done this to me so many times, touched my body so many times… Did you actually… Maybe, somehow, feel something towards me?” She paused, “I just wanted to know if he hated me or not, he had me so confused.” She shook her head slowly and took a deep breath.

“What did he say?” he said heartbroken someone would harm her like that. Something he could never imagine doing to anybody.

“Nothing,” she whispered, looking out the window shaking her head. “I got my clothes on, and I left the room. As soon as I closed the door though… I heard him throw his glass of Brandi and heard it shatter against the wall and heard him scream. So I ran back to my quarters, and that was the last time I talked to him. I saw him last upon departing from our airplane. He was shaking hands with everyone, you know… The formalities at the end of our tour. We look each other in the eye like nothing happened.” She bit her lip and looked down into her lap again. “When I got home, I just shut down. I didn’t talk to people even though I lived with my family. I didn’t talk to anyone for three days. The blinds in my room were down, I just wanted complete darkness, it was predictable, but harmful when alone with your thoughts.”

Steve got a tighter grip on the stirring wheel, his knuckles turning white. He was angry hearing that someone do this to her.

“This rocked my relationship, but Davy… He was so kind to me.” She shook her head, “We took things slowly again, we had to… It was like starting over… It was just so hard to even hold his hand… I would freak out… my mind was so broken; I would just cry. And Davy stayed with me anyway. I couldn’t figure it out. He could’ve gone off with someone else, someone happier… but for some reason chose me. Being intimate was hard, I would cry, but he would help me when I would. He was kind and gentle with me. I really needed that, I think I still do. I didn’t know what love was until he helped me feel better. It took years.” She paused, “I realized, the reasons why, although complicated as he may have been. He did it… because he chose to… because he wanted to… and… because he thought he could get away with it.” She paused again, “Wanna know what happened to my commander…?”

Steve’s eyes were shiny, almost crying still looking at the road, “Years later, after our tours… He got drunk, as usual… and decided to go for a drive and he crashed into a tree. Got ejected from his vehicle and was pronounced dead on the scene," she paused as she looked down into her lap.

“Oh God,” he breathed out, “Becky… I’m sorry,”

“Yeah… Me too.” She whispered.

“When I confronted Fury, broke through those walls, and then saw that guy…” he gulped hard, “I thought… the worst… Like maybe I didn’t get there in time.” His voice husky. “He didn’t… uh…” he couldn’t say the word.

“No,” he looked at her again, she was calm and reassuring. “No, he was going to… but he didn’t get the chance to yet. You came in.”

Steve let out a shuttering breath… and regripped the steering wheel, clenching his jaw.

“You having second thoughts about asking this weirdo to the New Years eve party?” pointing to herself.

“No, I want Becky,” he glanced at her and back at the road.

“You sure, because… I wouldn’t want me,” she whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

“This doesn’t scare me. It makes me mad… but I see YOU. Not your issues, I see the YOU who made it through those tough times.” He looked at her momentarily then back at the road again. There was a silence between them for a few minutes as she thought about what he said.

“This may seem like an odd request, but can I bring my mom and dad too? They never really go anywhere, and I’d like to see them have a good time too.” He looked at her again for a second thinking about how different and how nice that was to ask something like that. He wished he could invite his mom.

“I would have to ask Ms. Potts. She puts these things together. I’ll check and get back to you… but I think we can work something out and bring your parents along.”

“I don’t have anything to wear…”

“Yeah, I’ll definitely call Pepper and Tony. See what they can do to help you get there.”

“It’s so hard to even bathe, I can’t even stand in the shower. I don’t wanna be gross.”

“You’re not gross.”

“I’ll get my mom to help me with that.” Her tone sad. “I hate… I… wanna be able to do things on my own you know.”

“You will! Your recovery… is amazing. You just need time. Don’t let Tony pressure you into joining the team if you’re not medically able to handle the stress ok. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

“You’re not the only solider in this truck, you know.” She said with a sly grin.

He scoffed, “I know… You are one tough dame. No one goes through that and lives unless they’re tough.” She smiled back. “You know I…I feel like… I’ve known you my whole life.” She stared at him, “I wish those things never happened to you. You didn’t deserve to be treated that way.”

“I’ve learned that no one does, even bad people…” she looked back at him.

He started blinking rapidly, “I wish… I could… Ugh.” He pulled over to the side of the road.

Becky started to have alarm bells go off in her head as the truck moved over to the soft shoulder and stopped. She looked at him half in the dark as the lights from the cars would pass and leave. His blue eyes shining with compassion and it radiated into her heart. He slowly unbuckled his seatbelt, and slowly moved his body towards her, analyzing every subtle reaction or expression. She was nervous, “I said too much… Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything… You won’t like me anymore.” Tears starting to fall from her face.

“No, that’s not true. Never. I couldn’t.” It was just him and her together. “I feel, as much as it hurts to know that was your past. I am honoured that you would tell me something so painful for you.”

“Well, it’s the truth. I was told I was a liar and making things up, but everything I feel… it feels so real. Sometimes, it’s so heavy it’s just so hard to bear.” She closed her eyes and a sob and a few gasps escaped her lips.

“That burden is not for you to bear. That’s his.” He leaned in close and looked into her eyes, she could smell his pheromones. “I love you,” and he closed his eyes and was about to kiss her when he felt her palm lightly caressing the side of his face.

“I love you too,” she whispered. “I just…I don’t want to remember our first kiss after talking about something so painful. I want it to be a happy memory. If that’s ok.”

“Yes, doll.” He took her hand and kissed the top of it and paused to look up at her again, “You’re in the driver’s seat. We can save our pillow date for later.” He smiled.

“Ok,” she said breathlessly, there was chemistry between them. Steve got the truck going again and got back onto the road. “So, are you sure… You want me to be your date New Years eve?” she asked again.

“I couldn’t think of a better girl to ask.” He said more lightheartedly, “I think she needs to be shown a good time… Maybe even teach me how to dance?” she briefly looked at him and his smile made her feel better.

“You really do love me, don’t you?”

“I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true.”

“You don’t know how to dance?” she was surprised.

“Well… If you’ve seen what I looked like before,” which she did in photos from her high school history class, “Girls weren’t lining up for guys they could step on.” His voice going into a lower, disappointed tone.

“Well… I know what you used to look like Steve,” she paused, “If it’s any consolation, I would dance with you.”

He scoffed at the sweet sentiment, “I would, Steve,” She smiled warmly at him, she had to build up the courage to take her left hand and stretch it out to go over the top of his right on the steering wheel. She briefly looked at him with the warmest stare. “For what’s it’s worth. What I said at Christmas still stands, you belong.” He took a breath in as that statement reached his soul, he looked at her again and then back on the road. His right hand grabbed a hold of her left on the steering wheel and he brought the top of her hand to his lips again. It was the only thing he could think of to communicate or say how much he cared about her.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This song inspired this Chapter, I'm really excited to write this and the next chapter. I hope you all are enjoying these characters. I love them all so much :) I know I say it all the time, but for real, thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my work. You could be doing anything else right now, so I appreciate it. Plus kudo if you like it and thank you for your support.
> 
> I Get Weak- Belinda Carlisle
> 
> When I'm with you  
I shake inside  
My heart's all tangled up  
My tongue is tied it's crazy  
Can't walk, can't talk, can't eat, can't sleep  
Oh, I'm in love, oh I'm in deep 'cause baby  
With a kiss you can strip me defenseless  
With a touch I completely lose control  
'Til all that's left of my strength is a memory, whoa
> 
> I get weak when I look at you  
Weak when we touch  
I can't speak when I look in your eyes  
I get weak when you're next to me  
Weak from this love  
I can't speak when I look in your eyes  
I get weak
> 
> Convincing eyes, persuasive lips  
The helpless heart just can't resist their power  
You know you've got a hold over me  
You know you've got me where I want to be 'cause lover  
Like a wave you keep pulling me under  
How I'll ever get out of this I don't know  
I just know there's just no way to fight it, whao
> 
> I get weak when I look at you  
Weak when we touch  
I can't speak when I look in your eyes  
I get weak when you're next to me  
Weak from this love  
I'm in deep when I look in your eyes  
I get weak I get weak I get weak
> 
> Just a kiss you can strip me defenseless  
Just a touch I completely lose control  
'Til all that's left of my strength is a memory, whoa
> 
> I get weak when I look at you  
Weak when we touch  
I can't speak when I look in your eyes  
I get weak when you're next to me  
Weak from this love  
I can't speak when I look in your eyes  
I get weak I get weak I get weak

Becky couldn’t believe it! It was New Years eve; time went by so fast and it was the last day of 2019! Excited to start fresh, it was always a sentimental time of year where people would reflect and hope for a better year ahead, leaving what happened in other years behind. Ms. Potts came to the hospital with sequin gowns for Becky to try on, all of them stunning. It was a very hard choice since she loved them all, but eventually she chose a red one that went all the way down to her toes.

This was the first time she would be seeing Steve since they last went out together a few days ago. Her energy was starting to slowly return, and her recovery still going in the right direction. The thought of him made her heart flutter. She wanted to impress tonight. She was feeling discouraged having to show up at the star-studded event using her walker, it wasn’t how she imagined it would happen, none of this was. Who could’ve thought the last few months would’ve turned out like this? It was a different life now, whether she liked it or not. Pepper cheered her up though, saying that Tony was really happy when he got word that she was feeling well enough to attend the event tonight, and that he would be more than happy to extended the invitations to her parents as well.

Michelle was adjusting Allen’s silver tie that matched her silver cocktail dress and high heels, as Becky stepped out from behind the curtain in the long, red sequin gown. “So… What do you think?” Everyone stopped and stared, “I’m not… used to wearing things like this…” she smiled sheepishly.

“This is the one you should wear tonight,” Pepper nodded at her, Michelle and Allen agreed as well.

“I only have one request; can you help me get flats?” She asked Pepper. “It’s hard to walk normally, let alone in high heels.”

“Oh,” as Pepper held her finger up, “One second,” as she fumbled through one of the bags on the shelf next to her, “Thought about that already, sweetheart,” she said as she took out a pair of red flats. “Try them on, I want to see them with the outfit.”

She stepped into them. Allen grinned, “Well… Everyone will be able to spot you from a mile away…” Becky glanced at him, “You look really nice, sweetie pie.”

“Thanks, dad!” she beamed a smile at him, “You look great in your suit, and in your dress too mom!” she laughed, “I’m so excited for tonight!”

“Well, we haven’t even started with the hair and make-up yet,” Pepper looked down the hallway, signalling four ladies to come into their hospital room. “I need to get ready to go too.” She looked back at Becky, “Two ladies for each of us, one is working on hair, the other on make-up to save time.” Pepper looked down at her phone, “This is pretty much a red carpet event – very public. There will be lots of people trying to ask you questions.” Becky nodded, “Try not to talk to anyone on your way in. Don’t stop, just walk on through.” Becky nodded in agreement. “Meet Tony or Steve in there, if you can’t find them then pretty much stick to your parents. It’s a different world than you’re used to.”

Becky smiled at her, “Thank you, Pepper,” she looked up from her phone and grinned. “I’m really looking forward to this.”

* * *

Steve made it back to Stark Tower from his morning run and boxing workout at the gym a few blocks away. He walked off the elevator with his gym bag resting on his right shoulder, heading towards his room. Taking out his key to open his door, he stopped and glanced to the door to his left, Becky’s room. She hadn’t been there in weeks; he couldn’t get over how much had happened since they first stepped into this building together. He shook his head while looking at the floor thinking about it, and a smile came to his face. It just felt right.

Once he got in, he placed his gym bag in his living room on the couch, and got himself some water from the kitchen when he heard a knock at the door.

It was Tony!

“Steve!” he said taking off his sunglasses. He was holding a hanger with a white shirt with a clear bag over it, it looked like dry cleaning.

He turned to him and frowned, “Tony?” Surprised he would be here.

“Yeah,” he replied. “I came by earlier, but you weren’t home. Can I come in?”

Steve nodded and Tony came in and sat down on the couch.

“You just get in from the gym?” he said eyeing the bag.

“Yeah”

“Right…” he said looking around, “I’ll be quick… I know you’ve gotta get ready for the party.” He paused, “Tonight is going to be a really big gathering. There will be press here, it might be a little overwhelming. Please be on your best behaviour.” Steve crossed his massive arms, “They will be interested in you… Since you’ve returned.”

“Well, wasn’t presenting me at the Christmas party good enough?”

“It’s not just that, now people are going to want to know more about you, Steve.”

Steve frowned, “Don’t worry… I’m not one to want the spotlight, Tony.”

“Oh good!” he smiled, “Because, I am! This is MY party after all!”

Steve sighed, “Is that what you wanted to talk to me about, Tony? Afraid I’ll steal the spotlight from you?” almost laughing.

“Well…” he paused “Not exactly… I know you don’t like the spotlight, so I’ll distract while you… enjoy the party and all, but more than that, I just wanted to impart some advice to you…” sounding nervous.

Steve looked at him concerned, “Ok, I’m listening…”

“You see… You and little missy weren’t at the party last year. So, you guys are the new kids in town, so to speak.” He paused, “Everyone is going to want to be buddy-buddy with you. See what they can get from you… you know how it is?”

“No, I don’t!” he said seriously.

Tony sighed, “Your glands show. I need you to cover them up.” He said abruptly giving him the hanger, “I have a white collared shirt for you to wear tonight with your suit. It goes higher along the neck. It should cover them. Don’t let anyone see them. It was the first I noticed when I met you,” he said honestly. “It might look a little funny at first, but it’s better to keep this private now that you’re different from the rest of us,’’ his voice trailed off.

“Of course, I’m different! Aren’t I… Captain America?” he questioned.

“You are, but you’re a “different” Captain America now. Different from how the world remembers you,” He looked at Steve seriously. “In my world… There’s a lot of hangers on. People who… pretend to be your friends, when in the end… They really just want something from you.” Steve’s eyes widened with interest. “That could be anything from money, to connections, sexual encounters – which I occasionally indulge in,” he said with a smirk, “Or maybe some information or anything that can be used as dirt against you,” Steve sighed, this really wasn’t his style. If he had his way, he would live somewhere more private and not have to deal with this. “It’s just, I’m aware you come from a more… trusting time. Though it’s a party tonight, and people may let their guard down being that it’s the end of the year and everyone is excited… Which is good, don’t get me wrong,” Steve nodded, “Just know in the back of your mind that these people are not your friends.”

“And what are you?” his eyes narrowing at him.

“A friend… If I wasn’t… I wouldn’t tell you these things,” he almost didn’t know what to say, as his shoulders relaxed. Steve’s eyes got gentler, “I’m… Wanting to make sure you can swim with the sharks. So you can protect yourself, and little missy out there. It’s a different world out there, Cap.” He said sincerely.

“Yeah,” he raised his eyebrows, “I noticed.” He paused, “For what’s it worth though Tony, I don’t want anything from you. That’s not why I’m here.”

Tony nodded and started to get up from the couch, “I know… That’s why I’m here too. I…ahh… actually care about how we can get this group to work together.” He gave him a small smile.

“Thanks for the heads up. I’ll be alright and… I’ll make sure Becky is too,’’ he nodded.

“Alright,” he padded his hand on his shoulder. “How are you enjoying that new ride? You take little missy out there for a spin yet?”

“Yeah, the truck is great! I did…” he smiled.

“You ahh… Get anything special?” he winked at him.

Steve rolled his eyes and sighed, “I don’t kiss and tell Tony…”

Tony was more astute than he realized, “Look at you, Mr. Goodie Two-Shoes over here,” a smirk on his face. He gasped, “You haven’t even kissed her yet?! Have you?” Steve rolled his eyes again, “Don’t worry, it’s New Years eve… Things can still happen…” he gave a wide grin.

Steve’s eyes widened, “Well, we’ll see what happens, won’t we…” feeling a sense of challenge from Tony come to the forefront in his mind. Why was Tony asking these questions whenever he’d bring up Becky?

Tony looked to the side of the room and looked back into Steve’s eyes, “I’m going to be busy speaking to people tonight. At some point I’ll need to find you both to talk.

“Talk… Talk about what?” Steve asked.

“Developments… within the team… It’s still in the works. I’ll talk to you both about it tonight. Any word on if she’s thinking about joining yet?”

“No… Tony… The more you ask or pressure her, she’s probably more likely to say no. Lay off.” He said firmly.

Tony didn’t like that, but all he could say was, “Fine… and,” as he made his way out the door, “If you see anything out of the ordinary at the party, like someone who shouldn’t be there, let me or security know. Things should go fine, but there’s been some chatter detected.”

“Chatter?” he coxed an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” he sighed, “Hopefully, nothing to worry about.” He paused “Just giving you the heads up. You’re a solider first,” as Tony turned his body to walk away, “We’ll see you at the party, Cap.”

* * *

“Please, take the foundation off my neck glands, it’s burning me,” she whimpered.

The make up artist looked over at Pepper, nervous she was about to get fired. Pepper nodded, and the girl started to remove it. “We can have your long hair styled to hang over your shoulders, that way they are covered. I also have long red gloves for you to wear to cover your wrist glands.” Pepper said reassuringly, she looked great in her classic long black down with silver jewelry to make everything stand out, there was an elegance to Pepper that gave her this classic beauty.

“Why do I have to cover them?”

Pepper turned to her and paused on how to phrase this nicely, “The world doesn’t understand… and now, it’s not a good time to show the world that you’re different… yet.” She nodded, Becky sighed and looked at the floor.

“The press would see…”

“Exactly,” they made eye contact and understood each other. “Trust me… This is the best way to keep this private. The press are going to take pictures. Be sure to keep those covered.”

“Ohhh…” called a light voice from across the room. Becky looked over to see the same little girl who stayed with them for Christmas dinner. “You look so beautiful, like an angel.” Becky couldn’t hide her smile and went to her with her walker. “Becky are you getting married today?”

That voice had a way directly to her heart, “No, I am not getting married. What are you doing here, Christina?”

“Mommy had to work again…”

“…And you didn’t want to be alone?” she smiled.

She nodded.

Becky tapped her hand on the bench in her walker. “Sit down and I’ll bring you over here.” She smiled excited.

“You don’t walk very fast,” she said abruptly.

“Nope… Got a few boo-boos on the mend,” Becky laughed, as she pushed the walker over to her parents and Pepper. Christina opened her mouth in wonder at the ladies working on Pepper and now they moved to working on Becky.

“Where are you going?” she said excitedly, seeing all the different colours of make up on the counters.

“We’re going to a party,” Becky replied.

“Oh, can I come?” she said excited.

She wanted to say yes to whatever Christina wanted, but felt a pain in her heart as she knew the answer would be no. Pepper piped in, “This party is for grown ups.”

“Oh…” she said disappointed. “I wish I was a grown up.”

“No, don’t say that… it’s a trap!” Becky retorted, “Remain a kid for a loooong as possible, Christina.” She paused staring at her smile. She looked at her scars and how she reacted so positively to seeing older ladies getting all dressed up. “Do you like make up Christina?”

She smiled and nodded rapidly and started to giggle. She definitely loved the attention.

“Well, if it’s ok…” she looked at the make up artist, who nodded at her and gave her a smile, “We can get you all done up nice.” Christina agreed and smiled ear to ear. Becky pulled out the foundation, eye shadow and mascara. Christina dangled her feet with glee as her legs weren’t yet long enough to touch the ground from where she was sitting in the bench part of Becky’s walker. She loved being pampered by Becky’s now gloveless hands.

Becky worked on her for a few minutes, as her make up and hair were already taken care of. For the last touch she gave Christina ruby red lips. She smiled at her handy work, and said in a soft, caring voice, “Alright, beautiful… Go take a look in the mirror.”

Eager she hopped off the walker and ran over to a mirror, she looked at herself from each side, turned back to Becky and said “Thank you!” grinning from ear to ear.

* * *

Steve was absorbing what Tony said and how he acted, as he made his way to the bathroom. Turning on the light – he saw his reflection. He stared at himself expressionless. He was still sweaty from his exercise earlier this morning, veins protruding from his biceps, still warm from the jabs and punches he laid on the punching bag. He was always surprised to see himself looking like this, he still viewed himself as the sickly, burdensome, small guy from Brooklyn who couldn’t run away from a fight.

He stepped closer to the mirror and saw blonde stubble coming in on his chin. This wouldn’t do, especially not tonight. Tony told him yesterday to look his best. This was going to be a glamourous event where a lot of celebrities, business associates and friends would be attending. He was thankful Tony didn’t ask him to attend wearing his Captain America suit. Today, more than ever… he just wanted to be Steve.

Then he felt his phone vibrate, he reached for it and saw that he got a text message from Becky that read, _“Hi Steve, I’m so excited for tonight! I’m getting all made up right now. Pepper has been extremely helpful. My parents are excited too. Can’t wait to party with you!”_ This made Steve smile widely, he let himself day dream for a few minutes about how the night could go and it made his heart flutter.

He took a deep breath and replied to her text message, _“So am I! I’m glad you’re coming out tonight! I can’t wait to see you! I’m sure you’ll look beautiful, you always do! I’m getting ready now as well.”_

Steve started to shave until his skin was nice and smooth. Then he showered and parted his blonde hair to the side, like how he woke up in the hatch with her. He shined his black dress shoes, military style, not a speck unpolished, and put on his black suit and tie. He wasn’t going to leave this room until he was sure he looked like a million bucks. He was ready… Boy was he ready… He could not wait for the night to begin!

* * *

Becky looked around the limousine at her parents who were playfully joking around with each other and smiling, it made her feel glad to know that they could go to such a nice event, normally they would stay home on New Years eve. Pepper was on her phone, eyebrows narrowed in, it looked like she was doing something important. Becky looked into her purse and took out her phone and looked at herself to make sure everything looked alright.

“Hey,” yelled Happy from the front seat, “Is everyone ok back there? Anyone need more air?”

“No, we’re good,” Allen looked around to be sure.

“Alright, then we’ll be on our way!”

Once the vehicle started moving, Becky started to feel butterflies in her stomach. She looked over and touched the folded walker she had laying down by her leg. The metal was still cold through her red gloves. She thought about Steve and how wonderful he was, replacing her walker – being pissed off someone stole her old one on their date, along with her shoes. _“I wonder what he’ll look like tonight? I can’t wait to see him,”_ She knew she probably wouldn’t be able to take her eyes off of him.

She heard her mom say something as she was pulling away from her daydream, when she heard Pepper’s voice say, “Tony’s taking care of all her hospital bills.”

“WHAT?!” she said surprised and wide-eyed.

Pepper glanced over at her, “Yes, Tony was worried about you. He wanted to make sure you recovered. He was sure the extra stress of that wouldn’t help.”

Becky was so shocked and touched by his generosity, Tony didn’t have to do that, she really appreciated that. She thought her and her parents would be on the hook for their long stay in the private room. This lifted a piano off her back. “Oh my gosh! I will find him and tell him how much we appreciate his help.” She said sincerely fighting tears.

Happy tapped on the window and rolled it down to talk to everyone in the back, “Ok folks, we’re here! Hang on Becky, I’ll come over and get your walker ready and accompany you and everybody down the red carpet.”

Pepper locked eyes with Becky, “Remember, don’t stop for anyone! No matter what questions you hear. Put on your gloves, and make sure your glands on your neck are fully covered by your hair.” She reached over and made some last minute adjustments to her hair, then looked her in the eyes again, a grin on her face. “You ready Becky?”

“Yes, ma’am!!” she grinned back.

“Ok,” as Pepper opened the door, the volume of people shouting increased and there were flashes appearing outside. She could see the red carpet and her stomach started to go into excitable knots.

She started smiling and gave herself a pep-talk in her mind. _“Ok… Just… Go and have a good time… And don’t do anything stupid!”_ and with that she met Happy who had her walker ready to go. She thanked him and he walked with her and her parents on the red carpet. She pretended like she didn’t even see the cameras there and just continued walking as instructed, until she reached the doors.

Once inside, she didn’t realize she was holding her breath the whole time and let out a relieving sigh. She gazed around the venue; and what she saw was spectacular! The setting was so beautiful! She was instantly enthralled by the jazz music that was playing, the smells of all kinds of foods were in the air, lots of lights, people were laughing and having a good time. There was a stage with a band and singer and a dance floor, a bar at the corner, as well as multiple levels of floors people could go to with excellent views of the city. Everyone was decked out in their best attire.

She grinned and finally felt at ease as she looked up to see Tony in his navy-blue pinstriped suit. He looked great and of course he knew it. He was standing there talking to Steve about 20 feet away from her. Tony saw her first and then nudged Steve’s arm. He quickly turned around and looked in the same direction.

She could see his body snap to attention in her direction. As much as she tried, she really couldn’t hide her blush. He was absolutely stunning, totally out of her league, she thought. She could see the shape of his biceps through the arms of his suit, his smile brightened up the entire room, she couldn’t even see Tony anymore. Once her and Steve made eye-contact, a warm rush of butterflies that started from her toes flew up with such force all they way up her body, coming out from to the top of her head as if she were a volcano that just erupted. She felt warmth, and it was such an instantaneous rush that she got weak… so weak in the knees, she was grateful to have her walker in front of her to grab onto to avoid a humiliating fall. He looked so handsome it made her shutter, so intensely her vision became shaky. Immediately her butterflies turned into a warm heat that went from her head down to her toes. _“ALPHA! ALPHA! ALPHA!!!” _she yelled in her head. Oh, if only he could read her mind. _“I hope I can hold back,”_ she thought as she looked at the hundreds of guests in the venue in hopes of not somehow embarrassing herself_. “I don’t think I can speak,”_ was all she thought of as both men approached.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are... New Years Eve 2020 at Stark Industries... Let the fun begin :)
> 
> Thank you again for reading my work. I actually had to cut this chapter in half because there was too much going on. I will post the next chapter soon (just needs a bit more editing).
> 
> Note: I am not a dance teacher by any stretch of the imagination, hope the instructions aren't hard to visualize.
> 
> I'm so excited to share my work with you! I hope you are enjoying it so far. I have more ideas coming down the pipeline. Working on this project has given me so much joy! 
> 
> Let me know if adding music to this is adding or taking away from the story so I can adjust accordingly. It's just I've been walking around and hear songs and think about these characters and thought...hmm... maybe this might work together?
> 
> I hope you enjoy the... FEVER ;)

Fever

[Peggy Lee](https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&sxsrf=ACYBGNTs-1QEZF2ZttiM8GUFPehwSvarWA:1574911732172&q=Peggy+Lee&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgVuLQz9U3MLM0MF_EyhmQmp5eqeCTmgoAJGmPRRgAAAA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjxyeSy-4vmAhVOU98KHex-A5UQMTAAegQIDhAF)

Never know how much I love you  
Never know how much I care  
When you put your arms around me  
I get a fever that's so hard to bear  
  


You give me fever

when you kiss me  
Fever when you hold me tight  
Fever in the mornin'  
Fever all through the night

Sun lights up the day time  
Moon lights up the night  
I light up when you call my name  
'Cause I know you're gonna treat me right  
  


You give me fever

when you kiss me  
Fever when you hold me tight

Fever in the mornin'  
Fever all through the night

Everybody's got the fever  
That is somethin' you all know  
Fever isn't such a new thing  
Fever started long time ago

Romeo loved Juliet  
Juliet she felt the same  
When he put his arms around her  
He said, "Julie baby you're my flame"  
Thou givest fever when we kisseth  
Fever with thy flaming youth  
Fever I'm on fire  
Fever yea I burn forsooth

Captain Smith and Pocahontas  
Had a very mad affair  
When her daddy tried to kill him  
She said "Daddy oh don't you dare"  
"He gives me fever with his kisses"  
"Fever when he holds me tight"  
"Fever, I'm his missus"  
"Daddy won't you treat him right?"

Now you've listened to my story  
Here's the point that I have made  
Chicks were born to give you fever  
Be it Fahrenheit or centigrade  
We give you fever when we kiss you  
Fever if you live and learn  
Fever till you sizzle

  
What a lovely way to burn  
What a lovely way to burn  
What a lovely way to burn  
What a lovely way to burn

* * *

As soon as his vision locked onto her the voice in him spoke, _“Omega... Go to Omega,” _He could smell her scent, he wanted more of it. He had to get closer. She looked so beautiful to him, seeing her in that red dress lit up a flame inside his core. No one could keep him from her. Her smile was contagious, he couldn’t help but smile back as he stepped closer. He had been waiting for this night.

The warm rush through Becky’s body made her cheeks not only feel hot, but pinch uncontrollably. The sensation was so intense, she wished she could excuse herself to go to the bathroom until she calmed down. Her face was stoic, her red lips apart to help her regulate her breathing, eyes wide taking this angelic vision in front of her, of a face she knew, but didn’t quite hit her with this ferocity before. Steve stepped closer to her, faces inches apart, only her walker keeping them separated. If soft blue eyes could smile… They were smiling at her now. She couldn’t speak, it took all of her power to breathe. It was like they were in their own world.

Then Becky heard from behind her, her mother and father thanking Tony for his generosity of taking care of her medical costs. She noticed Steve’s eyes shift to look beside her, to her parents and then Tony, beside him, as they were shaking his hand. Almost a tinge of disappointment in his eyes. She looked over at Tony grinning at her parents, and she leaned forward and shook his hand as well. “Thank you, so much Tony. You didn’t have to do that… My family and I really appreciate it,” he stared at her with his chocolate brown eyes, still holding her hand. “And thank you for…” gesturing at her parents who were making their way to the bar now, “Letting me bring them along, they don’t go anywhere new years eve!” her face got redder, feeling more of a rush as she was surprised, he was STILL holding her hand.

Tony puffed his chest out, feeling prideful as always. Steve watching the whole time, “Little missy… Anything for you…” as he brought up her hand to his lips, giving her hand a kiss, locking eyes with her. Becky’s eyes widened and she took a deep breath to compose herself. She was confused and could sense Steve’s dismay, that new voice she started hearing in her heart said, _“Alpha is displeased,”_ she quickly glanced over at Steve whose head was now turned, solely looking at Tony giving him cut-eye. She could sense Steve holding back. What he really wanted to do was snarl and possibly bite him. This made her nervous as she could sense anger rising in him. “Enjoy the party,’’ he turned to look at both of them, “I’ll need to talk to you two later,” he winked as he turned around and got lost in the crowd mingling.

Becky turned her head back, accidentally brushing noses with Steve. He was very close now, still fuming from Tony’s rather public display of affection, the alpha instincts getting stronger. “Steve…” she looked at him concerned… He understood the anxious tone in her voice and stepped back to re-centre himself again, becoming calmer with each second that went by.

He could see Becky’s face red, and could smell her beautiful scent. He blinked softly and his eyes started to shine again, “Forgive me,” He said gazing at her, sincerely. His face relaxed and he looked her up and down affectionately, “I’m so glad you could make it.”

She gazed back at Steve, it seemed at that moment that time stood still. He looked great, and she couldn’t believe she felt well enough to make it here either. “I couldn’t wait to see you…” she paused.

“Neither could I…” he gave her this smile that lit up the room.

She took a breath in and in a husky whisper said, “Now that I do… I… I can barely stand.” Her voice echoed in his head. His protective instincts kicking in along with urges he couldn’t act on in public. He blinked softly as his glands started giving off a scent that hit her senses, sending her pleasant shivers down her spine.

His gaze narrowed in on her like prey, and she liked it… a lot. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, his voice as smooth as velvet and low, “You look amazing, doll,” he made a bold move and placed his arm around her, resting his palm in the small of her lower back. “Come get a drink with me. I wanna show my girl a good time,” this made Becky receive an uncontrollable shiver, he could feel it run through her. He could feel it through his hand. He had a racy grin on his face and she could see it, she bit her lip, both out of nervousness and excitement at the same time. _“MINE!” _said the inner voice in Steve.

“Oh my…” she started to quiver in his arms. “I don’t need a drink for you to show me a good time, Steve.” She said with a smile, trying to catch her breath.

He grinned; he liked that complement. He looked into her hazel eyes that panged at his heart, his arm around her… He pulled her closer to him till their bodies were touching. Her pupils were huge staring at him. “I want to kiss you, right now, Becky…”

“I know…” she whispered and looked around, “But my parents are here. So is… The press,” she looked back at him. He looked up and saw Tony across the room, posing for a picture with a business associate, a flash dawning his face. He snarled, a grunt escaping his lips instinctively. He looked down and swallowed hard, closing his eyes slowly. “Maybe…” she said as he looked up at her, “Maybe I could teach you how to dance,’’ she smiled at him.

He nodded, “Yeah… I still, don’t know how.”

“I’ll teach you…” she paused, “I haven’t danced much, but I’ll show you what I know.”

“You haven’t danced much?” he asked rather doubtingly.

She paused, “I don’t know why, but for some reason… The men I’ve been with, don’t like dancing.” A hint of disappointment in her voice. “I love dancing,” she paused, “and I’d like to do it more.”

“Ugh…” he murmured, “I’ve been DREAMING about dancing with you,’’ she could hear his heart in his throat with that statement. He was not bullshitting her.

“What else have you been dreaming about?” their eye contact solid. Fire in his core heating up with that question.

She was bringing a wild side out of him, it wasn’t usually this strong, he forced a breath out, mouth agape, “Don’t do this to me…” his voice low.

She nodded softly, “Well… No pressure,” she started to feel nervous, “With my walker and still weakened condition, I probably am NOT the best dancer right now, let alone to take instructions from.” She said looking down at her feet.

He held her tight, bodies pressed on one another, his sent of cinnamon and pine fogging her mind, _“Mmmm…”_ was all she could think when he said, “Ma’am… I’m a solider, we don’t do well unless we listen and we take instructions… Now… Instruct me… So I can dance with you in all the ways that you like,” a sly grin came to his face. She understood, and started to get some of her confidence back, enough reassurance that he wanted her. Didn’t matter whether she was in a weakened state or not, it was too bad with his words he was making her legs shake. “Come with me doll,” he whispered in her ear as he turned around, arm still around her waste walking forward, heading towards the bar.

Once they got there, she ordered some wine. She looked at him puzzled, noticing he wasn’t drinking anything, “No point in wasting, I can’t get junk.”

“How about loose?” she said slowly, his eyes meeting hers. His eyebrows unconsciously rose up and down in amusement.

He sighed, “Sadly, no affect…” he looked behind her to see her parents approaching.

“Steve! Sorry we had to keep walking after we talked to Tony. There were people behind us coming in so we had to keep moving, didn’t want you to think we were ignoring you,” Allen shook his hand.

Steve nodded, a smile coming to his face.

Michelle beside him, “I wanted to say, you look wonderful tonight, Steve!” she said.

“Allen, Michelle… You look wonderful tonight as well. As does your lovely daughter.” He grinned turning towards her smile. He loved her smile, dimples in her cheeks showing again. He grinned, “Your daughter here… Is going to teach me how to dance.”

Michelle’s eyebrows went up high, “Oh… Captain America doesn’t know how to dance?”

“It’s alright buddy,” Allen padded his arm, “Just follow her lead…” he whispered, “I still don’t know how to dance either and it’s been 30 years.” Steve grinned at his honesty.

“Oh! Oh darling!” Michelle called out to Becky as she was about to take her first sip of wine. “No, don’t drink it,” she looked at her concerned, “With all the medications and hormones you’re taking the doctor strictly said no alcohol.”

Becky gasped, “Oh yes, you’re right! I forgot!” she hung her head disappointed staring at her glass. “How will I do my toast tonight when midnight comes, later on tonight?”

“I’ll look for non-alcoholic champagne,” she said trying to get the bartender’s attention.

“Way to spoil my fun…” Becky teased.

Michelle smirked, “Well, you know… Once a mother… Always a mother.”

Becky held her lips pressed together as she slowly pushed her glass back on the bar and backed away, and turned to Steve… “Shall we dance now?” a smile starting to emerge on her face. Steve couldn’t keep a grin from appearing on his face, he was telling the truth, he really did dream about this. He didn’t want to mess it up.

“Do you mind watching my walker?” she asked her parents, “Someone stole mine last time,” she turned back shaking her head. Becky locked eyes with Steve, he started to get nervous as she took his hand. “Mind being my walker for me, sweetie?”

He grinned, “Glad to be of service ma’am,” his voice low, his grin now turning into a full-on smile.

She took a deep breath as they made it to the dancefloor, she was starting to shake from her nerves as she felt eyes from other guests lock onto them. “Steve… Keep in mind…” as she looked around, “There’s people watching us.” He nodded, taking in a breath. “Ok, one way is to put out hands onto each others’ shoulders and our second hand, basically hand in hand… like this…” she guided him “And then we basically sway our feet to the beat of the music, this is slow dancing. Another way if you feel comfortable, it’s a little more intimate, is you just change your hand from my shoulder to my waist instead.” She slowly took his hand and guided it around her waist, “Kind of like we had it when you were walking me to the bar,’’ she paused, “How are you feeling?” She smiled.

The jazz music was playing, it was a happy atmosphere, and they were starting to relax now. She found it hard now to look into his eyes for some reason, she was feeling shy, couldn’t pinpoint why. He took a breath in, his chest coming out, “It doesn’t seem so hard, I am a little…”

“What?” she giggled.

“A little light-headed” he said breathlessly.

“Oh,” she frowned concerned, “Are you… Feeling sick?”

“No,” he said as they continued swaying, “I think I’m just in love…”

She smiled, but scoffed at the same time shaking her head, “Any regrets asking this weirdo to the party?”

“Nah, couldn’t think of a better girl to ask. She needs a good night out.” He looked into her eyes, with a loving stare, his mouth agape. He turned his head to view their hands interlaced in one another, and turned back to her, “Your hands are so warm… And your cheeks are really…”

“What?” she said looking away embarrassed.

“Red… Are you alright?” he sincerely asked still dancing with her.

“You’re just so…” she gulped hard and looked over at one of band members playing the saxophone. She paused and looked back at him. Steve was staring at her curiously, “Do you want to know another way to dance?” Then she whispered, “It’s a little more romantic with your partner…”

His jaw dropped, mouth salivating. He quickly closed it as to not embarrass himself. “Sure, if you’re ok with it… I mean… There’s people here…” he said nervously.

She looked down, second guessing her thoughts, “Ok, well… We can try and if you feel uncomfortable – we’ll just switch it up…” he nodded.

He was getting urges again, his alpha instincts kicking in, “I will need my girl to teach me what she likes at some point…” That statement hit Becky in all the right places, so much so, she almost closed her eyes in delight.

She sighed, and smiled, “Okay… If you’re comfortable. To dance closer to your partner… It’s very romantic,” he smiled, “I’ll rest both my wrists on your shoulders, or around your neck, and you wrap both your hands or arms around my waist, whichever is more comfortable for you…” They moved positions still swaying. She swallowed hard as this indeed brought their bodies closer together. The heat coming through her body again like when she first saw him tonight, from her toes all the way up to the top of her head, these rushes making her feel dizzy and very hot.

He could smell her scent getting stronger, “Are you alright? The doctors said you were taking medicines to help with your heat. You’re really warm.”

“Yeah,” she sighed, “They still haven’t figured out the right dosage for me yet. I’m kind of … you know… a case they never had before type of thing. They’re figuring it out as I go, sometimes they get it right,” she said. “I get nightmares, stomach pains out of nowhere, though… They are using powerful drugs on me. It hurts, sometimes… I wanna break free,” Then the songs stopped and then she heard the base play. “Ohhh…” her body tightened up as the first few notes played, as if she knew this song very well, and she was nervous like a 12-year-old school girl, avoiding eye contact with her crush.

“What?” he said turning back to the band playing the music, the base was catchy and did set a sultry tone, but he didn’t understand. He turned back to her. “Becky?”

She smiled sheepishly, “Um… This song is NOT a Christmas song…” Her scent stronger now since the song came on. She moved her face close to his so it was all he could see and started mouthing the lyrics: _Never know how much I love you / Never know how much I care / When you put your arms around me / I get a fever that’s so hard to bare / You give me fever / When __you kiss me / Fever when you hold me tight / Fever in the mornin' / Fever all through the night_

It was magic between them, electricity firing off from their eyes. Steve looked down at her lips and thought about how good it would feel to kiss her, but clenched his jaw knowing that there were hundreds of people here now. What he wouldn’t give to have them alone right now to put his lips all over her. Her scent was intoxicating and loved how the music itself was contributing to the mood. These lyrics were something else, definitely fitting for what was going on in this moment. Her fever was definitely giving him fever.

She was no longer just mouthing the lyrics, but now actually singing to him, her light voice reaching his ears sensually, “Sun lights up the day time / Moon lights up the night / I light up when you call my name / 'Cause I know you're gonna treat me right / You give me fever / when you kiss me / Fever when you hold me tight / Fever in the mornin' / Fever all through the night / Everybody's got the fever / That is somethin' you all know / Fever isn't such a new thing / Fever started long time ago” Steve started to smirk, his scent also getting stronger.

“I know what you mean, Doll,” he took a deep breath in of her heavenly scent, “Careful, Becky…” he teased, she grinned at him while they swayed. Both of them hot to the touch. She stopped singing… She wanted to enjoy these really sexy moments. She will be dreaming about this for months.

“_Now you've listened to my story / Here's the point that I have made / Chicks were born to give you fever / Be it Fahrenheit or centigrade / We give you fever when we kiss you / Fever if you live and learn / Fever till you sizzle / What a lovely way to burn….”_

“Oh…” she put her forehead onto his for the remainder of the song, “_What a lovely way to burn/ What a lovely way to burn / What a lovely way to burn” _Becky sighed, she was so hot to the touch, her cheeks bright red again. She leaned into his ear and whispered, “It actually IS a lovely way to burn…”

He smiled against her hair, taking in another waft of her intoxicating smell. He loved it all, even if it tugged at his willpower. “I could do this all day, Doll… Maybe all night too,” he whispered back, his fingers lightly bushing her arm.

“I don’t think I can.”

Steve could hear her heartbeat rapidly, and her breathing becoming erratic. “Becky?” he brought his head back, looking at her concerned.

Her face was red, she looked at him with pleading eyes, “Water, baby… Please,” his eyes widened and he nodded and brought her back to the bar and gave her lots of it. She drank a lot of it and also placed the cold ice cubes on her forehead, if they didn’t melt in her hand first. “My makeup is coming off, but… I just don’t care. Cool me off.”

“I just want you to be ok, darling,” he leaned in over the counter of the bar, getting more ice cubes for her.

Then he heard clapping coming towards him. It was Tony with a beautiful woman with medium length dark hair. “Alright guys, that was a very subtle display of affection in front of all my guests. Now if you horny teenagers would do me the honour of letting me introduce this wonderful lady,” she stepped forward, “This is Ms. Maria Hill, she is the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“Hi Maria, I’m Becky Morrison,” she shook her hand. Steve introduced himself and did the same.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright folks, here is the second half of chapter 22 which now chapter 23, there was just too much going on if I kept it all as one chapter.
> 
> I hope you like it and enjoy this story. My heart swells when I write this. Please kudo or comment if you like.
> 
> I went Christmas shopping today and saw a whole bunch of Captain America merch and I had walk away... booo.... but I get to write about him instead, which can be just as fun! Enjoy!

“Director of Shield?” Steve questioned.

“Yes,” Maria said, “It’s a special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency. I’m putting together a team.”

“I thought Tony was putting together a team?” Becky interjected.

“Tony recommended both of you. I’ve taken a look at both of your files, and would like to offer you to join the team. We are looking for people both with and without special abilities,” She stated. She looked over at Becky, “I am aware that… You’ve been in the hospital recovering from injuries sustained in a fire-fight.” She said looking at her walker.

“Yes, ma’am,” her voice soft and sad as flashes from her memory started coming back to her, the pain in her chest from the bullet holes and the blood loss. Steve could sense this and placed a supportive hand on her back, his palm lightly brushing where the bullet wounds were.

She smiled hopefully, “Well soldiers,” looking at both Becky and Steve. “There’s lots of work that needs to be done, both here and abroad. If you chose to serve, you would be reporting to me...” she glanced over at Tony, “and not Tony.” Steve relaxed at that statement. “He would be more of a co-worker than a boss.”

  
“Thank you, ma’am,” Tony said sarcastically taking another sip of his drink, looking across into Becky’s eyes.

She started to look relaxed as well, listening to what Maria was saying, “We have some missions that are currently being set up at the moment. You have one month before we’re a go.” She took out a card from her purse, “Get in touch with me before then, so I know what team we’re working with.”

Steve smirked, “Tony,” he glanced over at Steve, “This must be hard for you… Giving up power.”

Becky lightly hit his arm and whispered, “Stop.” Steve still smirked, looking at her. Tony rolled his eyes.

“I’ll send an email over to you with all the information and duties.” Maria said.

“Email?” Steve frowned, not understanding. Tony rolled his eyes, again. Becky turned to him and took his hand and smiled at him endearingly.

“Enjoy the party. I wish you a speedy recovery, Becky! It was nice meeting you both,” Maria said as she turned around and walked away with Tony.

The jazz music and the sound of the crowd became louder instantly once they walked away. Becky took a couple of deep breaths to relax, thankfully her heat was under control now, a smile on her face as she looked behind her to see Steve staring at her – his eyes sparkling. She looked at him suggestively, with a crooked smile, “Doll… You take my breath away…” She slowly blinked, absorbing not so much what he said, but how he said it, his tone soft and loving stare. She walked back to him struggling with her balance and hugged him and he helped her back to her walker with ease. He was so strong; she could feel his bicep on her lower back as his arm curled around her waist. He smiled down at her face, his heart fluttering again

“Now… Why don’t we find my parents and get some snacks? I’ll need to sit down somewhere. I’m feeling kinda tired.”

“Yes,” he nodded, his blue eyes scanned the room. “I wanna take care of you,” he cooed as he leaned into her ear. Her lips curled up with glee.

“And you do such a good job too…” _Alpha…_ in her head, as she caressed his face. He slightly turned to her inner part of her wrist, slowly sniffing her gland. His eyes now open looking at her with a very loving stare. She grinned and slowly put her hand down. “You might wanna get yourself some water too, and cool off…” she winked.

He chuckled, “Yes, sweetheart.” They found her parents, “I was gonna say… I don’t think I’ve seen you stand this long in a while,” he said encouragingly. They walked over to a separate area with food staff available and sat down together. There were tv screens in this section and they were broadcasting the Times Square New Years Eve Countdown. They were broadcasting 3 couples on a stage that the journalists were interviewing.

“Here Becky,” Steve handed her another glass of water to keep her heat down.

“Thank you, Steve,” she smiled at him and turned to watch the tv.

“What did Tony want to talk to you about?” Michelle asked.

“That job opportunity he mentioned at our Christmas dinner,” Becky said sipping her water.

“Are you going to go for it?” Allen questioned.

She sighed, “It’s…” Steve paid attention to the tv and shifted uncomfortably as he realized who was on it. “It’s a little more complicated than Tony explained to you at dinner,” Steve turned to Becky, wanting to move her into another room, when she turned back to the tv. “Ahhh…” she slouched and her jaw dropped, for on the tv, one out of those three couples was the couple she gave her engagement ring to! They were being interviewed and the boyfriend got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend with her ring she gave them.

Steve looked over at Becky’s expression, he was hoping she wouldn’t have recognized them, as a mix of emotions crossed her face. She was happy that she could help them, that the ring could be put to good use, but now… knowing that David died by the hand of violence and didn’t mean what he said to her at the door, and remembering their last conversation when they spoke in the in-between. She felt torn, remembering when he got down on his knee and asked her to be his wife, also on New Years eve at her parents’ house. It would’ve been 2 years ago today. There was a silence.

“Sweetie…” Michelle touched her arm. Becky turned to her, tears in her eyes. “I know…” She looked around feeling another rush, an urge to run. She grabbed her walker and without a word left to go to the other side of the gigantic room and headed to the balconies.

Steve gasped, as he himself felt a pain in his chest, and got up to make his way over to her when he felt Allen’s arm, “Steve, let her be…” he turned back to look in his eyes to see Allen’s eyes watering, “It was tough to bury him a few days ago… He proposed to her at our house on New Years eve. It’s… hard for her.” Steve frowned and decided to sit back down silently, drinking more water, hoping she would come back soon. He didn’t trust her around balconies. “She’ll come around.” Steve looked back at him feeling bad, “She talks about you all the time, Steve… You’ve really made a difference in her life. She just needs a few minutes right now.”

* * *

She needed to get away from the tv, she needed to get away from the crowd, she needed to get away from loud noises. She finally got to one of the doors leading to the balconies. She went and sat down on a cold bench. Not many people were outside, as it was about 10pm at this point and though it had a great view of the city, she couldn’t see it’s beauty. She only saw beauty when looking up at the full moon that happened upon this night… Gazing at it, mouth agape, something deep in her wanted to howl, reminiscing about The In-Between… How close she was to the moon where she could almost touch it.

If she could touch it, maybe she could touch David. _“Oh David… I wish things could’ve turned out the way we planned… The way you and I talked about… The way we always dreamed. Now we are in separate worlds…” _… “Until we meet again,” she whispered as she closed her eyes, tears finally falling down her cheeks, the frosty wind moving her long brown hair back, soothing her hot skin. There was no one on the balcony now, as people found it too cold. She felt it just right, to maintain her temperature.

Her eyes remained closed, the wickedly harsh winds hitting her face and ears, when she heard the door scrape open. She turned around to see it was Steve, still dressed in his black suit and tie. He looked nervous, almost afraid to approach once he made eye contact with her. It confused her to see him so apprehensive.

He stopped in his tracks the moment he saw her staring at him. “Ah…” he started… “I’m looking for my date… Have you seen her?”

He was so sweet. She exhaled and wiped her tears, _“Of course… How could I be so selfish? How long have I been out here?”_ she thought. “Yes!” she called out to him, still wiping her tears, “I am here,” with that she got up slowly made her way to him with her walker. He stared at her longingly, wondering if she had possibly changed her mind… If he would be losing her… fear that maybe it was all for nothing and her heart had no more room for him after all… As she got closer and closer, the look in her eyes communicated a deep love inside her heart for him. She didn’t take her eyes of him as she moved. He wasn’t sure what to do.

She got really close to him, her long brown hair flying in the air, her scent filling his senses. She looked like an angel with the tinge of blue light coming from the moon landing on her skin, making it a pale blue and her hair and eyes black. She almost looked feral, but gorgeous. Instinctive. Vulnerable, but yet at the same time, strong. The voice coming up in him again, _“Omega loves you…”_ and with that she collapsed in his arms. Holding onto him as tightly as possible.

They looked into each other’s eyes for what felt like a long time and he unconsciously leaned in to kiss her lips, when her soft fingers caressed his lips, “No…” as he opened his eyes, “Not in a moment of sorrow.” He nodded feeling her pulse through her fingertips on his lips. “I want you to know something though… I do love you.” She leaned in close to his side of his face and started kissing his cheek slowly, feeling his skin on her lips, and started to slowly trail her kisses going down his jaw line. She stopped and stared where his covered gland was, one of the sources of his seductive scent, fighting off urges by leaning back, regaining composure and looking into his beautiful eyes again.

She looked incredibly gorgeous, and wild. Almost like her eyes had a yellow ring to them. A feral side underneath the exterior. He couldn’t quite pin-point what it was, but was captivated. So was she. A bond they both never felt before.

* * *

Once they made it back to their table Becky noticed her parents dancing together on the dancefloor. She smiled and signalled to Steve with her chin to look in their direction. He smiled as well, “I’m glad they’re having a good time.” He said.

“I thought that I wasn’t going to see them over the holidays… Possible never again.” She turned to him, “But thanks to you, they now know our story. I have them back now because of you.” Her eye colour had gone back to normal, her hazel eyes staring into his blue. He knew she was grateful for his intervening in getting in contact with them while she was in the hospital.

Becky noticed a pair of red glitter sunglasses molded in the shape of year 2020 on their table. She looked at them curiously and picked them up, “Are these yours?” she asked him. He shook his head. “Hmm… I think I’m going to give these to Christina, the little girl who ate Christmas dinner with us.” Steve smiled. “She was keeping us company while we were all getting ready tonight. She so desperately wanted to come and was disappointed it was a no kid kind of party. So, I told her I would bring her back something,’’ she said as she put it in her purse. Steve grinned at her and put an arm around her shoulders bringing her in for a quick snuggle.

Steve glanced over at the windows across the room and turned back to her, “Becky?” she smiled at him, “I wanna show you a beautiful view of the city, we don’t even have to be outside.”

“Ok,” she agreed. She took her walker and sauntered over to the window, it went from the floor to the ceiling. Indeed, it overlooked the city, but over the square itself. There were so many people down below waiting for the ball to drop. She glanced down, she hadn’t seen so many people gathered in one place, except for on television. She started to feel tired so she decided to sit on the bench in her walker while facing the window with Steve.

He noticed, as she sat down the height difference increased. He remembered being small like that before the serum, and crouched down with her so they would be at eye level, “How are you feeling, Becky?”

She gave a sly grin, “I’m a patient, it’s past visiting hours and most definitely past my bedtime” and gave him a wink.

Steve held eye contact with her, a grin slowly getting wider and wider turning into a relaxed smile. She continued looking into his eyes, she could get lost in those eyes forever. He was so loving in the way he looked at her. Finally, she broke the gaze and looked down at her dress. He was startled for a second, the way she was angled, her face and hair looked like… _“PEGGY”?_ He thought.

Once she moved her face back up to look at him, she was back to normal again. She could tell there was a slight look of distress on his face, “Steven… Are you aright, my dear?” she took his hand into his, looking into his eyes.

“I’ve never been better, doll,” he said forcing a smile.

The crowd was getting louder now, he looked up at the clock and saw it was 5 minutes until midnight. He smiled, hopeful for a new start. He looked back down at Becky, “What are you hoping for this year?”

She grinned at him, “I don’t know…” she paused in thought, “To heal would be nice, to not have to use a walker if I don’t have to,” she lightly chuckled. He nodded.

“What about you, Captain?” she looked at him alluringly.

He raised an eyebrow, smirk his face, “I don’t know, yet… I just…” he bit his lip, “I wanted to ask you something, but I don’t think it’s a good time right now.”

Becky looked at him, curious. “And why is that?”

He couldn’t speak… He knew what he wanted to say… but her eyes, her voice, her face, her smell… _“What if she says no?”_ came into his mind.

Then out of nowhere, a very inebriated Tony Stark came in to view from behind Becky, stumbling towards her. Steve’s protective instincts kicked in, his grin disappearing immediately. He didn’t want him near her acting like that. Tony said in a loud voice, “Well, if you’re not going to kiss her Steve, then I WILL!” People behind him watching started laughing. Becky turned around questioning what on earth she just heard, only to feel skin on her lips and the feeling of being pushed down. Tony in her face, her eyes wide in shock. Steve stood up and was about to throw a fist at him, he didn’t care if people were watching, when Tony pulled her back up and parted the kiss – immediately showing it was not a kiss at all!

He opened his palm, where Steve could see Becky’s red lipstick stain there. He was irritated, but defused now, “Is everything a joke to you?” Tony met him with just a smug grin on his face, “Very funny…” he said sarcastically as he looked over at Becky who was more confused than anything. Tony had put his hand over her mouth and had just kissed his own hand and had used Becky’s hair to cover it, so Steve couldn’t see. Now he was back into the crowd mingling again. Becky was stoic and staring at the floor. “Becky… I’m sorry.” He said as she stood up close to his chest.

Then there’s a count down 30 seconds left, and everyone started walking towards where they were, by the large windows to watch the ball drop. She was not used to this big a crowd, she looked back at Steve. He smiled back at her as they held eye contact.

10… 9… 8…

Becky frowned, remembering the nurse doing the countdown before they put her to sleep in the hatch.

7….6….

Steve sensed her anxiety, “Becky?” She was breathing heavily. The stress from the energy of the many people around her and the countdown. Her eyes looking everywhere.

  
“I’m scared, Steve…” he grabbed her hand.

“Look at me… Look in my eyes…”

She was trying to catch her breath.

5…. 4…

She scrunched her eyes shut, “Is something bad going to happen?” she said in higher pitch voice.

“No…” he held her hand tighter.

3… 2…

She braced herself… shoulders moving up, covering her neck.

1….

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

She opened her eyes to make sure she wasn’t going to be put asleep again. To make sure this wasn’t a dream. She was here! She was really here! Here with Steve, at a party! The relief hit her like a wave of peace. She looked at Steve’s oversize hands holding hers and she smiled as she looked up at him.

He was gorgeous and he didn’t take his eyes off her the whole time. Everyone was celebrating, the different colour confetti were coming down, some landing in their hair. Her smiled went wide, dimples showing, melting Steve’s heart. Then a song started to play that he recognized, hearing the room roar with words he thought he wouldn’t have heard again. The room was singing Auld Lang Syne. He looked around the room, people smiling and laughing. He had seen this before over 75 years ago… He turned to Becky, “Do they, still sing this old song?”

She slowly stepped closer to him, fully relaxed now, “Yes! Every year…” her smile still as wide as ever. He licked up his lips, holding back, but as they kept looking into each other’s eyes, they knew it was right… He slowly leaned in halfway to her face. She took one more deep breath, trying to hold back another smile as she wanted full control of her lips. She leaned into him and their lips softly landed on each other’s….

It was pure magic! This warm, soft kiss had electricity to it! Both of them breathless in something that only lasted at first a few moments. When they pulled back, they looked at each other. Unbelievable how they locked into each other at their first kiss. They wanted more… They closed their eyes and dove into a more passionate kiss, their scents intertwining. Steve slightly sticking his tongue into her mouth, rubbing their warm tongues together… warm rushes send throughout their bodies right down to their toes. It was right. Music still blaring, people cheering and singing.

Finally, they parted and stared at each other. “I feel drunk, and I haven’t a drop…” Becky said half joking. “I’m dizzy.”

“Yeah… I know what you mean.” He looked down. “I’m going to have a hard time walking” he said looking down at his pants.

She started giggling uncontrollably, her cheeks pinching again as she blushed. “I’m sorry,” she said as she laughs.

“Why, do I get a feeling you actually aren’t?”

“I love you…” she smiled back.

Each time she said that, it melted his heart… He gained his breath, “I love you too, sweetheart. Happy New Year!”

“Happy New year to you too!” and kissed him again.

* * *

Michelle and Allen said their goodbyes to Steve as he walked them out onto the now vacant red carpet. No press was anywhere to be had. It was quiet now, as they piled into the limo Happy was driving, leaving the door open for Becky as she was saying goodnight to Steve.

Steve got closer to Becky and whispered in her ear, soft and tenderly, “I had one of the most amazing nights in my whole life, doll.”

She smiled, “I did too…” she blinked slowly. He tenderly caresses her cheek, and swallowed hard.

“I hope I can see you again soon…” his voice husky.

She grinned, “Well,” she looked down at her walker and then back at him. “You know where to find me… I’ll be at the hospital.”

“It’s going to hurt to watch you leave…” his blue eyes piercing her heart.

“I feel the same way… We should try our “Pillow date” sometime soon,” She leaned in close to his ear and whispered, “I like the way you kiss me…”

He grinned, his eyes narrowing on her. “Anything we do together is nice.” He took her hand in his, “I will make sure we do that sometime soon.”

Beep! Beep!

  
“Becky, it’s getting cold!” her mom barked from the limo. She blushed turning back to Steve.

“I gotta go. Come visit me at the hospital some time soon. I had a great time. Goodnight.” She said as she hustled into the limo.

“Goodnight!” he called out to her. He stayed out there in the cold watching them drive away. She turned her head to look back at him through the rear window, and they continued staring at each other all the way until they got too far where they couldn’t make out their faces anymore.

Steve looked down at the ground, reflecting on how the night went, how fortunate he was that she was well enough to come out. They kissed… _“Mmmm”_ he thought. He was right about one thing though, it did hurt to watch her leave. His chest felt a little pain, but it couldn’t keep the smug smile on his face, to know he finally got the chance to kiss her. He was so nervous about their dance, and it was exhilarating. _“I gotta do that again with her sometime,”_ and with that thought he turned around on the red carpet and went to go back into the building where it was warm. His gaze was down thinking about her, when Lexie from the Christmas party walked past him.

“Happy New Year Captain,” she waved.

He looked up momentarily, “Oh, Happy New Year Lexie…” he said not breaking his stride, heading into the building.

She turned her head, narrowing her eyes, watching him go inside and the door close shut, menacing grin on her face…


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello All! I hope that you guys are having fun getting ready for the holidays! It's been VERY busy on my side. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter, I adore these characters so much. You see the bond that they have. It's been such a joy to write this and I hope you enjoy it with me :) Please like or comment if you haven't already and if I don't update before Christmas - Happy Holidays!!! :D

### "I Only Want to Be with You" Dusty Springfield 

I don't know what it is that makes me love you so  
I only know I never want to let you go  
'Cause you started something, can't you see  
That ever since we met you've had a hold on me  
It happens to be true, I only want to be with you

It doesn't matter where you go or what you do  
I want to spend each moment of the day with you  
Look what has happened with just one kiss  
I never knew that I could be in love like this  
It's crazy but it's true, I only want to be with you

You stopped and smiled at me  
Asked me if I'd care to dance  
I fell into your open arms  
I didn't stand a chance

Now, listen, honey, I just want to be beside you everywhere  
As long as we're together, honey, I don't care  
'Cause you started something, can't you see  
That ever since we met you've had a hold on me  
No matter what you do, I only want to be with you

You stopped and smiled at me  
Asked me if I'd care to dance  
I fell into your open arms  
I didn't stand a chance

Now hear me darling, I just want to be beside you everywhere  
As long as we're together, honey, I don't care  
'Cause you started something, can't you see  
That ever since we met you've had a hold on me  
No matter what you do, I only want to be with you  
I said, no matter, no matter what you do, I only want to be with you

* * *

Steve walked down the hallway of the hospital until he got to Becky’s room, he stepped in and was surprised to find that she was alone. He was very quiet when approaching her bed as she looked to be sleeping, he was about to say hello until he saw her with her eyes scrunched together and tears started streaming down her face. A murmur escaped her lips, her facial expression looked like she was in pain.

“Becky?” her eyes snapped open and turned to the direction of his voice.

“Steve,” she strained to get out.

“It’s ok, I’m here Becky,” he came closer to her.

She felt restless and anxious, “I keep getting nightmares, Steve.” She sat up in her bed, “I keep dreaming about Fury. Somehow, I can hear his voice in my head. He’s chasing me in the woods, but I can’t see him,” she took a few deep breaths to compose herself.

“He can’t talk to you…” he shook his head as he sat down in a chair beside her bed. “He’s locked up, he’ll never get close to you again. I promise.” He paused, “Remember at the mall?” he said sweetly, “It’s just fear.”

She looked over at him, “I feel like Fury and I will cross paths again… Like it’s not actually over.” Her hazel eyes had fear in them, “Now…” she winced, “It could be my fear talking to me… but the same… message keeps coming back. He wants to kill me.”

Steve scoffed, “I’d like to see him try,” he looked at her again, “What would be the point in killing you, Becky? Remember in the hatch that the idea was eugenics, to breed the best army of half super soldiers? There was another Omega, but we found her dead. Making you, so far, the only one.”

She looked at him grimly, “I don’t know Steve… Since he shot me… Since the kidnapping… Things are different now…. I can feel it. I don’t know if breeding an army is his objective anymore. He’s very resentful about being locked up, a man of his high rank,’’ she stopped and put her hands on her face and hunched over.

“What’s wrong Becky?” his eyes frowned, concerned.

“I’m in pain, from the concussion… They are trying to get me used to less pain medication dosages,’’ she whimpered.

“How did you get the concussion?” his alpha protective instincts kicking in, anger rumbling in his chest.

“Well, when I got kidnapped…” she started, “He punched me in the face because I resisted as he took me away…”

Steve let out a laboured sigh looking her straight in the eye, “Well, he’s not going to do that again any time soon, he doesn’t have a head anymore.”

Her eyes widened, hesitating to ask, “Is that what you did?”

“No one… Does that to you… He was gonna do more... To you. I couldn’t let that happen.’’ He stood up straighter, his facial expression stern.

“You’re dangerous…” she paused, “I almost forget that about you.”

His face immediately relaxed, “Well, I don’t take joy in it,” he said sombrely, “It’s not an easy thing to do. You’re a solider too, you know about the oath to service your country.” She did, she took the exact same one. “You wouldn’t be on the receiving end of that side of me,” he smiled, “I love you… Too much,” his voice tailed off. She just looked at him, it made him nervous, “Do I…” he looked down at the floor for a moment and then back up at her again summoning the courage to ask her this question burning in his mind and soul, remembering with shame, when they first met how he nearly broke down the door in the hatch. “Do I… scare you?”

“No…” she stared at him longingly, “We are living in dangerous times… Sometimes… It requires going toe to toe.”

“Yeah…” he whispered softly as he lightly stoked her hair on her head with his palm, “I won’t let anything like that happen to you.”

“Steve…’’ he came forward, closer to her bed as she called out to him. ‘’I couldn’t let anything like that happen to you either… I would die to protect you… The world needs Captain America.”

“Well, I need you… Captain America needs you,’’ He grabbed her hand and held onto it tightly, as she winced from the pain in her head. He looked around to see if anyone was coming in. “Doll, I’m the one with abilities here, let me take care of you.’’

She gave him a small smile, “Well, how about… We…” she grunted from the pain, “How about we just make sure we take care of each other, ok?”

He grinned and he looked around again frowning, “Speaking of that… Why are you alone? Where are your parents?”

“They couldn’t take anymore time off, unfortunately they had to go to work,’’ she sighed, “They should be back on the weekend, but there’s a gift they left for us,’’ she pointed to the table where an envelop was on top of a magazine. “Can you go over and open it?”

Steve opened it and slowly turned back to her, “They’re tickets.”

“Tickets?” she questioned.

“Tickets for a “holiday boat cruise, coco and carols”, set for tonight…” he looked back at her assessing her condition.

“Tonight...” she said raising her eyebrows, a hint of disappointment in her voice. She opened her eyes and looked out the window. It wasn’t storming outside, “I want to go…”

Steve relaxed his shoulders and tilted his head to the side, “I don’t think you should go anywhere. You should follow doctor’s ord-” he got cut off.

“PLEASE!” she begged.

His eyes turned more compassionate. “I’ll ask the doctors if you could have some more medication before you go out.”

He had a soft spot for her he thought, as he walked into the hallway to find the doctors. In spite of being an alpha sometimes the omega was in charge, he wanted to please her. She had gone through some rough times and their bond felt so strong, it was important to be there for each other. He loved her so much.

“Thanks, Steve…” she said as she looked at her pile of clothes her mom brought her from home.

* * *

This was a great idea, and an excellent gift from her parents. Becky recalled her mom telling her that they did that same cruise years ago and remembered it being really nice. It was beautiful on the water, they had green garland wrapped around the banisters, they had cookies and hot chocolate, and wonderful views of the statue of liberty and the city skyline. The interior design of the boat was from the 1920’ era with wood paneling and cozy warm seats, and a live band playing music was the entertainment for the night as they set sail.

The best way to see the city was by boat, the skyline was stunning and they made it there in time to watch the sunset and the sky transition to night – all the lights showing the vibrance of the city. It was really windy outside the cabin of the boat. Becky gazed out at the scenery and Steve wrapped both of his huge arms around her, holding her close to him, his chin resting on her shoulder. He could smell her scent, it was making him feel things again, and he pulled her tighter to him. Becky noticed she felt him hard on her back, a slight grin coming to her face. She loved that she had this affect on him, and she bit her bottom lip.

“Ahh, Becky…” he sighed in her ear… “I want you, doll…” his voice made her weak in the knees. She started to feel wet between her legs. Thankfully the cold breeze kept her temperature down.

“Steve,” she turned to him with a loving look in her eyes, seeing his face slightly red now and his blonde hair flying in the wind, he was beautiful, it almost broke her heart to say, “We’re around people…” he nodded and understood.

They linked arms and went back inside as it grew colder now that the sun had set. They enjoyed the rest of the evening, as they were serving treats and hot chocolate. They were always touching in some capacity, whether it was handholding or crossing each other’s foot underneath the table, or just being in each other’s arms. They had such a good time together, singing old Christmas songs, like they did at church. Good warm memories came back to both of them from their past lives. Things were different since they came back, so much had changed.

* * *

They drove back to the hospital together, he made sure to park closely so Becky wouldn’t have her walk too much. He turned to her, a boyish grin on his face, “Becky… We’re alone now doll…” a hint of hope in his voice.

She turned to his endearing face and smiled, “We’re in the hospital parking lot…” she bit her lip, “Not the most ideal place to make out.” A light laugh escaping her lips.

He thought for a minute, “You’re right,” he looked around and took a breath.

“You gonna walk me up?” she sounded unsure if she hurt his feelings.

He turned to her, eyes wide, “Of course I will… What? You think because you don’t feel comfortable – that I’m gonna stop walking you upstairs?” he half grinned.

She paused not sure what to say, he hit the right note since that was exactly how she was feeling.

He raised one eyebrow, “Come on doll… Every moment with you is special. Remember, I’ve said it before, you’re in the driver’s seat with this.”

She looked down at her knees, thinking and reflecting and then her eyes met his again, “You don’t know how much that statement hits home for me.” She shook her head. “I… It’s hard for me to be close. Even if I want to… very much,’’ she slightly panted feeling a little overwhelmed while looking into his eyes, they were so beautiful. “Walk me to bed…” she said softly.

“Absolutely, doll… In fact, since your parents aren’t coming back till they’re off work – I’m staying with you.”

Becky’s face lit up, her hazel eyes shone bright and she smiled from ear to ear, she felt that uncomfortable feeling of her heart stretching again. A deep sense of love, a wanting to be with him forever. He smiled at her, he loved making her happy any way he could. He did not want her to be alone, maybe if she was sleeping so she wouldn’t feel scared. His protective instincts strong, his memory of her being kidnapped still bothered him. None of that would happen under his watch.

She looked around and then back into his eyes, “Where are you going to sleep? Do you have any pillows? Maybe you should drive back to Stark Tower and get some things like that, a change of clothes, toothbrush…”

He grinned, “You just want an excuse to stay up past your bedtime,’’ he playfully interjected.

“Maybe…” she said flirtatiously, “I’m such a rebel,” and she laughed.

“Ok, good plan though,’’ he started driving again heading towards Stark Tower.

* * *

She waited in the truck for a while, she glanced at the front doors and he came out with a backpack on. She smiled at him as he came into the truck.

“You going camping, Stevie?” she laughed.

“Yeah, indoor camping at the hospital.”

“Why is your hair wet?” it looked beautiful, his full blonde locks slightly parted to the side were a little darker making him a dirty blonde. It was a nice look on him.

“I had a quick shower… I… ahh… had to,” he looked over at her, a thought went through Becky’s mind and she coxed an eyebrow at him and grinned suggestively, “I had to cool off,” he looked away starting the truck again and getting ready to drive.

“Yeah,” she looked away, “Like in the jungle, where we swam near the waterfall…” her voice trailed off.

He stopped and leaned back against his seat recalling that time when they barely knew each other, and he asked her to no longer call him Captain, but Steve instead. His face relaxed, as he turned to look at her again, “I love you… I knew it the moment I saw you. I remembered wanting to kiss you on that beach, but I saw your ring and… I thought I could never…”

“Our lives have changed a lot… Hasn’t it?” she seemed lost in thought, while looking out the window. He glanced over at her and immediately took his right hand off the steering wheel and held her hand. His hard was huge, she loved the way it engulfed her hand, and the tender way he held it the whole ride back. He knew that he would never let her go.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays to you all! Thank you for reading my work during this very busy time of year!
> 
> I wrote this till 3am a few days ago, and included a couple of conversations I had with my own grandparents when I was younger in this chapter. It's amazing how much you can end up writing parts of yourself and your own life in the words of your stories. I hope this chapter warms your hearts and shows the importance of family and community, especially right now during the Christmas season. Wishing you all the best.

Look After You

[The Fray](https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&sxsrf=ACYBGNTLRgKG5KQYWir9ENdWgLSjT1Nk8w:1577034545925&q=The+Fray&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgVuLUz9U3MM9JM8pYxMoRkpGq4FaUWAkARViXPRgAAAA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj346G_38nmAhXOct8KHRmMBAMQMTAAegQIDBAF)

If I don't say this now I will surely break  
As I'm leaving the one I want to take  
Forgive the urgency but hurry up and wait  
My heart has started to separate

Oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh  
Be my baby  
Oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh  
Be my baby  
I'll look after you

There now, steady love, so few come and don't go  
Will you, won't you be the one I'll always know?  
When I'm losing my control, the city spins around  
You're the only one who knows, you slow it down

Oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh  
Be my baby  
Oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh  
Be my baby  
I'll look after you  
And I'll look after you

If ever there was a doubt  
My love she leans into me  
This most assuredly counts  
She says most assuredly

Oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh  
Be my baby  
I'll look after you  
(After you)  
Oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh  
Be my baby  
Oh, oh, oh

It's always have and never hold  
You've begun to feel like home  
What's mine is yours to leave or take  
What's mine is yours to make your own

Oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh  
Be my baby  
Oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh  
Be my baby  
Oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh  
Be my baby  
Oh, oh, oh 

* * *

Steve was staring at her sleeping soundly in her hospital gown, her head propped on a pillow, IV in her hand giving her more medication. It was so hard to believe this same girl a couple of days earlier walked into that party looking so done up and beautiful, and that he danced with her. He looked at her lips and remembered how they kissed after midnight. He couldn’t stop thinking about it, his mouth on hers.

He smiled and turned around, looking at the 3 chairs he placed in a row beside her for him to rest on, _“It’ll be fine,”_ he said to himself. He took out the pillow and laid himself down next to her hospital bed. He studied her face, she didn’t seem to having any nightmares right now, although the things she told him about Fury played in his mind. He closed his eyes and strained to listen to her heartbeat and the blood coursing through her veins. He didn’t want anything bad to happen to her again.

Steve awoke to the sound of the nurse checking on Becky, and he stood up immediately. “What are you giving her?” he said with concern.

“More hormones and pain killers,” She responded. He stared at the needles going into Becky’s arm and thought about his mother.

* * *

Steve watched his mother on her bed as she injected herself with another set of insulin, “Steve, honey…” he looked up into her beautiful blue eyes, “Can you get me a glass of water darlin’? I need it to take my pills,’’ she said as she laid back on her bed.

“Yes, mama,” he said and he stood up to grab a glass and bring it to her. He had to hold it with both hands to keep it steady and not spill it on the floor. He nervously walked back to her bed and handed it to her.

“Thank you, honey,’’ she said as he gave her a small smile. “Hey…What happened to your eye?... And your arm?” she asked concerned, leaning in for a closer look.

“It’s nothing mama,” he dismissed it.

“No, take off your shirt!” she frowned, “Let me see!” There was no fooling her, this wasn’t her first rodeo. Steve brought his gaze down to the floor, embarrassed, and slowly unbuttoned his shirt. As it came off Sarah gasped at the bruises on her son’s body. “Who did this to you!?” she demanded. He couldn’t look her in the eyes. “Steven!”

“I got picked on at school mama… but I made a friend today,” he gave her a half grin.

“What do you mean?” she said sternly.

“I was being beat up by a group of kids and this other big kid came out of nowhere, and he helped me,’’ she looked at him surprised. “He helped me fight them. He started to get them off me and told them to get lost.”

“Does this kid have a name?” she asked.  
  


“He told me his name is James, but he goes by Bucky,” he said as he finally lifted his gaze to her eyes.

“Well… If he is who you say he is, have him come over for dinner one night this week. I would like to meet him,’’ she said softly.

Steve looked at her wide eyed, he had NEVER had a real friend, let alone had one come over to visit him before. “Thank you, mama,” was all he could think to say.

“Mrs. Martino is going to be coming by soon, she said she made extra food. Can you please watch for the door? I won’t be able to get up to answer, I’m too sick.”

Steve got excited, he loved Mrs. Martino’s food. Mrs. Martino and Sarah were friends, sometimes the husband Mr. Martino would bring food if they had extra – which happened fairly frequently. They ran an Italian restaurant and would bring left overs whenever Sarah was sick. “Yes, mama…” He looked at her as she turned to rest on her stomach in the bed. Steve frowned, “Mama, does your back hurt again?”

“Oh…” she sighed and looked into his sweet, endearing eyes, “It always hurts, my love.”

“I can rub it and make it better…” his voice higher in pitch… His heart ached for her. He wished she wasn’t so sick all the time.

She nodded as she knew it made him feel helpful and needed. He started rubbing her back in circles. “Does it work, mama?”

“Ahh…Yes,” she lied. She sighed again, “You’re such a helpful son,” she said.

Steve smiled and continued moving his hand in a circular motion, making sure he didn’t stop moving his hand. “I want you to be ok mommy,” he smiled at her.

She frowned, and looked into his eyes, “I’m so sorry, Steve.”

“For what?”

“Well…” her eyes started to well up with tears, “It’s just…” she looked at his small frame beside her, “It’s just… I see all the other moms, and I feel like I’m letting you down.”

Steve frowned, “Letting me down? How? You’re the best mom ever!”

“Well…” tears still in her eyes, voice shaky, “I just… I think about… how for example, how other mom’s take their children to the park, make dinner every night, do things with them, and my body doesn’t allow me to do that. I just wish I was a better mother for you.”

“Ohh no mama! You’re the best mother I could ever have!” he reassured her, “You are so kind, you’re so wise, and smart. If I ever need help, you always know what the right thing for me to do is. Just because you’re sick, doesn’t mean that you’re no good! I love you mama, just the way you are! We take care of each other when we are sick. That’s what we’re supposed to do. Right mama? You’re a nurse!”

She couldn’t hold her tears in anymore, “You’re very strong, Steve.” He looked down at his shirtless arms and gave her a sheepish smile. “You never stop trying… You remind me so much of your father, and I loved him so much.” She took her hand and cupped his face, he leaned into her hand affectionately.

He smiled at her, “Don’t worry mama, I will listen for Mrs. Martino and then we can have some delicious food and we’ll have a great evening! Together!” an even bigger smile coming to his face.

“Ahh…” she sighed again in pain, “What would I have ever done without you, kid?” she said with a smile. “A mother could have 1000 sons like you… No problem.”

Steve’s heart felt warm and he grinned at the compliment, “I just want to make sure you’re ok mama…”

“Ohh… You’re so mature for your age, you’re only 9.” She leaned forward and stroked her fingers through his beautiful blonde hair, and parted it to the side. “Don’t make yourself too excited or nervous again little boy… You’ll give yourself another asthma attack,’’ she said affectionately.

* * *

He looked at the clock on the wall, it was 4:30 am, he had drifted off a few times laying on the 3 chairs he put together. After the nurse left, he laid down again and rested his head on the pillow. He stayed there beside Becky, staring at her, and thought for a while... He had time off until the mission Maria talked about would start next month. Tomorrow was Friday and her parents wouldn’t be coming back at the hospital until Saturday. He could stay there for as long as she wanted him there. He was going to watch over her, when no one else could. He was unable to sleep now, just remembering the new years eve party and dancing with Becky, kissing her while the room was singing in the new year. He stared at her sleeping peacefully, and he grinned. He closed his eyes again when an idea hit him.

He had a plan for tomorrow. He spoke with the doctors to get the ok to take her out for the afternoon and night, as there were some more tests she had to undergo first thing in the morning. In the meantime, while she was sleeping, he was learning how to use his phone to google places to go for dinner and read reviews. He knew it was still too fresh since the kidnapping to go to Martino’s, so he was looking for other places, he also loved the maps function, he thought it would come in very handy.

He had something special in mind, something different. He was always really happy to see her. He wasn’t expecting the kisses they shared to have so much chemistry, but also feel like home at the same time. He just loved being around her. He was in love again, though he didn’t believe that could be possible, given what he had been through.

Thankfully she was sleeping soundly now, he grinned at her again looking up from his phone. Tonight, he was going to do some planning and coordinating. The banks should be opening soon, he thought. He needed to obtain and learned how to use a debit card that day and decided to briefly leave to fill up his truck with gas. He knew they would need it, as he again would have to stop by Stark Tower and get more “supplies”. He felt guilty for leaving to do those things, and took another glance at her. It didn’t look like she was having any nightmares. If he was quick, he could be back before the sun would come up.

He left the room and went into the hallway. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Christina in a wheelchair in the hallway by herself. She was also in a hospital gown, and had the 2020 sunglasses on top of her head. His heart ached looking at her, he approached her, “Christina, what are you doing out of bed? You should be sleeping…” He put his hands on the handles of other wheelchair and started bringing her back into her room.

“I was just saying goodbye to my mom… She had to leave now to go to work.” She said looking back at him, as he brought her inside. “What are you doing?” she asked inquisitively.

“I’m going to fill up my truck, and possibly get some food for Becky’s breakfast. I was thinking she would like breakfast in bed. Do you want me to get you anything?” he offered sweetly.

She smiled and nodded.

He smirked, “Of course you do… What am I even saying? You want pancakes?” he raised his eyebrows.

“YES!”

“Ok, here’s what you gotta do… Get in bed and fall asleep and they will be there when I get back, ok?”  
  


She looked at him, “What’s your name again?”

“Steve…” he replied with a smile, “We had Christmas dinner together… I sat beside Becky before you came in, and then you sat in between us.”

She smiled, remembering him, “Did you marry Becky?” her voice high pitched, “At the party?” she pointed to her 2020 glasses.

“No,” he smiled… “I wish...” he hesitated, then he leaned down and put a hand in his pocket and took out a box to show her, he opened it and inside was a diamond ring. “I wanted to ask her at the party… but ahh… Maybe it’s too soon for her,” he shook his head and put it back in his pocket. “Don’t tell her ok?”

“Awww…. Ok,’’ she agreed, “You want it be a surprise?”

“Yes,” he smiled widely.

“I think you two would be wonderful together,” She smiled.

Her comment warmed his heart.

“Ok little one… In bed.” His voice more commanding.

He tucked her in and left the room.

* * *

“Mama, what does the word inferior mean?”

“Who taught you that word?” she asked calmly, but concerned.

“Someone called me that today,” he replied.

“Who?” she questioned.

“Kids at school…” he paused, “I thought they were insulting me, I just don’t know what the word means.”

She felt disheartened, and took a deep breath, “Yes, they were trying to insult you.” She paused, “They are saying you are less than they are…”

He frowned confused, “In what way, how?”

“Meaning that they consider you lower than them, could be in anything… could be in status, rank, ability, or quality.” Her feelings were hurt by this as she studied her son’s face, as he was absorbing what she was saying.

“Mama… Why do people not like us?” he asked.

She sighed, “It’s not that people don’t like us personally, though it could feel that way sometimes…” she said slowly, “It’s just… medicine is in limited amounts, not a lot available to people. You and I, as you know, get sick quite frequently, and we have to take it in order to say alive,” he nodded understanding so far, “People get upset at people who get sick frequently, saying that… they take a lot of resources which could be given to people who use it less frequently.”

“What does the word, burden mean?” he asked.

“Who taught you that word?” she shifted in her chair trying to keep composure.

“I read it on a sign,” he said.

“What did the sign say?” she asked.

“It said - “Some people are born to be a burden to the rest”,” he stared at her.

She paused for a moment and held loving eye contact with her son, “It’s not a compliment,’’ she said, “It means, a heavy load, or a duty or misfortune that causes hardship, grief, nuisance, distress… I believe in this context of the sign; I know because I’ve seen this sign around town too. They are referring to people who are sick, like us, people who will always need medicine. We have undesirable, inferior qualities…” She looked into his eyes, his eyes revealing his soul as he frowned, almost seeming like he was absorbing the answer into himself, “I want you to know, that’s not YOU Steven… That’s not who you are,” he looked up at her with hope in his eyes, “I see YOU… Not your hardships. I’m sorry that you will have them with you, your illnesses, but…” she bit her lip in thought and looked back at him, “You are not your hardships. You are strong. You have a very good quality, a spirit that never stops trying to make things better.”

His eyes lit up as he smiled at her, “I do it for you, mama!”

She ginned from ear to ear, as his words warmed her heart. “The world needs more people like you in it. I have been truly blessed to have a lovely son like you.”


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello All! I have a late Christmas gift for you ;)
> 
> Happy holidays and thank you for taking time out of your day for reading my work.

Hysteria  
Def Leppard

Out of touch, out of reach, yeah  
You could try to get closer to me  
I'm in luck, I'm in deep, yeah  
Hypnotized, I'm shakin' to my knees

I gotta know tonight  
If you're alone tonight  
Can't stop this feeling  
Can't stop this fight

Oh, I get hysterical, hysteria  
Oh can you feel it, do you believe it?  
It's such a magical mysteria  
When you get that feelin', better start believin'  
'Cause it's a miracle, oh say you will, ooh babe  
Hysteria when you're near

Out of me, into you yeah  
You could hide it's just a one way street  
Oh, I believe I'm in you, yeah  
Open wide, that's right, dream me off my feet  
Oh, believe in me

I gotta know tonight  
If you're alone tonight  
Can't stop this feeling  
Can't stop this fire

Oh, I get hysterical, hysteria  
Oh can you feel it, do you believe it?  
It's such a magical mysteria  
When you get that feelin', better start believin'  
'Cause it's a miracle, oh say you will  
Ooh babe  
Hysteria when you're near

Come on

I gotta know tonight  
If you're alone tonight  
Can't stop this feeling  
Can't stop this fire

Oh, I get hysterical, hysteria  
Oh can you feel it, do you believe it?  
It's such a magical mysteria  
When you get that feelin', better start believin'  
'Cause it's a miracle, oh say you will, ooh babe  
Oh can you feel it, ooh babe when you're near  
Oh, I get hysterical, hysterical, hysteria, hysteria  
Oh can you feel it, you better believe it, start belivin'

Good it's a miracle  
Oh say you will, oh babe  
Say you will  
Get closer to me, get closer baby  
Baby, closer, (closer) get closer (get closer), closer to me

It was a sunny morning and a fresh blanket of snow covered the city overnight. The view was spectacular from Becky’s hospital window. Steve kept Becky company while the medical team gave her multiple tests. Now in her room, Becky ate breakfast in bed. She looked at him fondly, making him shift in his chair, as he could feel his eyes on him as he looked out the window, “You know how to make a girl feel special, don’t you?” she grinned.

He looked down and smiled, “Well…” unsure what to say as he turned around to look at her, “That was the idea, I hope you do,” he started walking closer to her bed, his eyes shining bright. Becky grinned, she thought he was just awesome in every way. He started to fidget, “You ready to go… Darling?”

She looked over at the chair across from her bed, “Steve, can you get me my jeans and my white blouse please?” She asked reaching out her hand.

He grabbed them and brought them over to her, “Do you…” he was nervous to ask, “Need help?”

She thought for a moment and shook her head, “No, I can get my jeans on and I’m okay with buttoning up my blouse. It’s just shirts I have to squeeze over my head that hurts,’’ she winced at the thought. “Button up shirts are perfect, less movement,’’ she smiled.

He nodded and walked out of the room to let her change. He looked over at the nurse’s desk, where they gave him the medicine she would need for the rest of the day before they headed off. She needed to be back at the hospital by midnight, as she still had to undergo some more tests.

Becky was thankful just to be in normal clothes, she just wanted to feel more like her normal self again. As she wore her old blue jeans and a white buttoned up blouse with a collar, she looked at herself in the mirror, her long brown hair freshly washed and soft to the touch. She sighed, relieved to no longer be wearing a hospital gown. She bundled up in her black jacket and red scarf, along with the new walker Steve got her, and together they made their way to his truck. A smile on Steve’s face.

Steve placed her walker in the backseat on the floor and helped her up into the front seat of the truck. “I’m so happy to be with you!” she grinned. She was ready to watch the hospital building fade into the distance in the truck side mirror, even if it was just for the day. She turned to Steve who was driving now, “Have you ever driven in the snow before?”

“No,” he was wary, but still territorial about his driving.

She glanced back at the wheel and back at him, “Do you want me to drive?”

He looked over at her slightly annoyed, “No…”

She grinned as she found a sweet spot to annoy him, “You know…. I’m probably a better driver than you…” she teased.

“You know what, Becky?” he raised his eyebrows and gave her a look, as she broke into a solid grin.

“Keep you eyes on the road, love…” she smiled.

He turned his head back to the road. The street was covered in snow. It looked beautiful, though you had to pay attention to what you were doing as people were walking around slightly hungover from the partying during new years eve last night. Becky looked out the window at the stores, the people walking, the landmarks. It wasn’t until she realized they were getting on the highway that they were getting out of the city. “Steve…” she asked, “We’re leaving the city for the day?”

“Yes, we are…” his voice soft and optimistic sounding as he looked at the rear-view mirror, adjusting it slightly.

“Where are we going, Steve?”

He grinned and turned to her, “You’ll have to wait and find out.”

* * *

Tony sighed as he knew at any moment he was going to get a blast of shit from Pepper. She had seen his lovely display at the New Years Eve party. He was drunk and she had tried to get him to slow down with the drinking and of course, he didn’t listen. He felt bad and knew this wasn’t going to be fun.

Pepper walked in, her high healed footsteps echoing through the large room. “Tony… I quit!” She yelled.

He went wide-eyed, “What?!” as he stood up from his chair.

“You heard me!” she raised her voice, her face stern. She was serious.

“WHY?” he knew the answers, but had to hear it from her.

“What is the point of me being here, if you never listen to me?!” she looked him straight in the eyes, her hands curled in fists, he gulped taking in what she said. “I told you to go easy with the drinks at the party. You acted stupid, which normally happens when you drink too much... And there you go making a fool of yourself.” There was a silence as he took a couple of breaths.

“Ugh…” he looked around the room thinking of what to say. “I’m sorry…”

“No, you’re not!” she raised her voice again, “The press thought you actually kissed Becky! Way to bring attention to her! We are trying to keep the fact that they are both different away from the public eye, way to keep them safe!” She hissed. Tony frowned; he knew he had done wrong. “I had to get PR on that right away! That’s not how I pictured spending MY New Years day!” He clenched his jaw feeling a bit of guilt, “Now thankfully someone took a picture of you showing Steve the inside of your palm.” He sighed as he slumped back into his chair. “You look bad when you do this. You look reckless! You think those people you were trying to impress thought you were funny? They were laughing AT you… Not laughing with you! You’d be able to tell the difference if you weren’t drunk at these things!”

“I don’t know what else to say, other than I’m sorry.”

She tilted her head, “One, you can start listening to me. How many times have we been through this? Stop acting like an idiot!” He rolled his eyes, “No!” she pointed at him, “You see… That’s the attitude I’m talking about! How do you expect to work with Steve Rogers now? Do you think he’ll trust you? Or Becky would trust you? I wouldn’t!”

“I bought him a truck! I paid her medical bills and saved her life!” he snapped back.

“You can’t buy respect, Tony! Maybe you can with SOME people, but not everybody… Especially not with them anyway.”

He immediately got up out of his chair and yelled “I WANTED TO LEAD THE GROUP!”

There it was… That’s what was bothering him the whole time. She turned her head to the glass window overlooking the city covered in white, “Tony…” her voice getting softer, “I know you hate giving up control,” she looked back into his eyes, “I know you’re not a team player,’’ her voice calmer now as she stepped forward closer to him. “But you’re the one who made that decision to give control to Maria, while sober,” she scoffed. “You are leadership material… Only when you’re not drunk or being selfish.”

He clenched his Jaw, “Pep.” He tried to pull her into his arms and hold her.

“Please,” she rolled her eyes and threw both her hands up in the air, “You’re exhausting!” She closed her eyes and pinched the skin between her eyebrows, “I have a headache,” she got up and left the room.

Tony, felt a sadness creep into his heart. His lip quivered as he took a sip from his water bottle and looked out the window gazing at the city below that was now covered in white. Even thought it was beautiful, but he couldn’t deal with his own feelings or take in any more stimuli. “JARVIS… Open up the garage, I need to fix things.”

* * *

She looked out the truck window at the beautiful rolling hills of farmland and trees. The fresh bit of snow resting on top of the evergreens outlining the branches, the bits of green poking out of the white. The land looked like meadows of fresh, untouched snow - something that should’ve been in a painting. The rolling hills stretched for miles and miles. She felt like she could breathe better. It was gorgeous, almost felt like it had a spiritual side to its beauty. “We must be… Upstate?” she turned back to Steve. He shrugged his shoulders and was quiet. “Are you really not going to tell where we are going?”

“I wanted it to be a surprise…” she saw a slight upward curve on his lip at the side of his mouth. She glanced down at his neck gland and back up to his face. “If I told you where, it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore.” He turned his head to her momentarily, his blue eyes shining bright.

She nodded and looked out the window, again she felt this stretch in her heart. She loved him. She took a deep breath and leaned back on the seat and closed her eyes, riding out the discomfort this heart stretch always caused.

Sensing her discomfort, he asked, “Are you alright, Becky?” He looked back at her as he could hear her breathing and was straining to listen through the noises of the truck to hear her heartbeat and the blood coursing through her veins.

She turned her face over to him and looked at him with love in her eyes, he wasn’t expecting her glance to have such an affect on him, going straight to his heart. His concern for her showing through his eyes made her feel so loved and special. She looked down at the console separating the two of them, and back up into his eyes and without a word and slowly undid her seatbelt. He frowned wondering what she was doing, but remained silent as he waited to see what she wanted to do. She slowly lifted up the truck console between them, there was a bench seat underneath and she slowly moved herself closer to him. She was now touching his shoulder, making him sweat just with the looks she gave him. There was a different intensity about her. She was so beautiful. Her eyes conveyed a message of acceptance, home and affection. Things he wanted… things he needed… Things he longed for, cutting through all of his mental defenses and straight to his heart. He swallowed hard while staring at the road, occasionally looking back at her to find her staring at him each time, her hazel blinking softly whenever they would connect. No words spoken between them.

She snuggled her face underneath his right arm, Steve momentarily taking his right hand off the stirring wheel as her face poked out from under his shoulder. She snuggled into his side and he wrapped his right arm around her body, pulling her as close as possible to his side. Still not a word spoken between them. After a few minutes she looked down at his huge arm around her body, she felt so safe, she turned her face into his shoulder breathing the waft from his gland. She missed being this close to him, like this while back at the hospital. She loved being in his arms. She thought about their first kiss at the party, how magical it was. So glad they took that chance.

While both of the were looking out on the beautiful country road, he finally spoke up, “You don’t know how much you mean to me, do you?”

She took her head off his shoulder, leaning slightly forward and looked at him sincerely, “I might know a thing or two about how you feel…” her words echoed in his head. He tenderly took his arm away and placed his right hand on her back where the bullet injuries were, and lightly rubbed her back - moving the palm of his warm hand in slow and soothing large circles.

“My mom was sick all the time,” she looked over at him with a frown, “When my mom would suffer from back pain and she would be laying in bed, she would ask me and I would rub her back like this.” She looked at his right arm feeling his touch relax her.

She blinked softly and smiled, “You must’ve been a really good comfort to her during her suffering. She was very lucky to have you,” her voice like velvet, he took a breath in as her statement stuck a cord in his heart, “So… Are you going to tell me where we’re going any time soon?”

“Nice try…” he grinned and looked over at her, “You have to wait.” She playfully pouted her lips at him. “That won’t work on me,” he grinned.

She glanced over her shoulder when a corner of a pillow got her attention. She coxed an eyebrow and turned all the way around to see the whole backseat. There was an inflatable mattress and pillows he must’ve taken from his room in Stark Tower, along with numerous blankets that looked really warm folded on one side. She grasped with delight as a smile came to her face, “You made it again!”

“Yes!” he took her hand in his and kissed it, feeling a sense of pride while still looking at the road. “I take care of my woman,” he grinned. He could hear her breathing get shorter and more frequent. “You excited?”

She giggled, “No… I’m not at all!” she said sarcastically.

“Doll… I just wanna be alone with you. No one to interrupt us.’’ He held onto her hand squeezing it from time to time, keeping it warm, as both her hands were cold.

“And no one to steal my walker?” she said playfully.

He laughed, “Yes… and no one to steal your walker…” he shook his head remembering the incident and how stupid that was. They both got a good chuckle out of it now.

* * *

They pulled into a nice restaurant set beside a creek and sat at a table situated by a large window with a great view. There were evergreen trees in the background and the creek was so peaceful looking. Though it was chilly outside, the fresh winter snow made it look so beautiful. They enjoyed what they ate, and decided to have ice-cream for dessert. For Steve, he felt like he needed to set this right, in the back of his mind he thought about the night she was kidnapped and pictured the night going differently… Kind of like this, with her smiling and them joking around and talking. He needed to do this with her, he knew she wasn’t having fun at the hospital. Whatever he could do to make it better, he would.

Steve noticed that she winced a few times while sitting down, “What’s wrong, Becky?” he asked, concerned.  
  


She sighed, “The hormones they give me… They still don’t know what the right dosage is and it causes random cramps in my back and belly… Stabbing pains.” She paused. “They last a few seconds, but then they go away... Which reminds me…” She took out her medicine Steve got from the nurse’s desk earlier and winked at him, “I need to take these with food.”

He nodded remembering his challenging childhood, “Yeah… I used to need medicine all the time… before this… I had many ailments” pointing to his body, “and so did my mom… I know the drill,’’ his boyish grin making her smile. It was nice to be understood at this level, no pill shaming, or judgement, just take what you need and move on and be happy.

* * *

It was dark by this time now, and they drove together until the came upon a look out point. The view was picturesque, even from sitting in the truck, but since it wasn’t windy outside or bitterly cold, they walked outside to the front of the truck to gazed out at the view. For miles they could see the valley below covered in non-blemished snow. The moonlight reflected on the ground, the light bouncing off the snow making it almost look as bright as day. Steve noted how gorgeous the view was. She remarked how the stars were brilliant, as she gazed at them tilting her head up. He looked over to see her glands on her neck, he licked his lips. Even though they kissed before, he was nervous on how to go about doing it again. He wanted to kiss her right now, but he wanted to make sure the ball was in her court. He looked out at the view and thought about the ring in his pocket… _“Maybe now? Should ask her now?”_ Then he noticed Becky was leaning forward, frowning… Hyper focusing her eyes, staring at the woods in the valley below. She turned to him, “Are you sensing… Wolves?”

“Wolves?” He raised an eyebrow and looked around, “No… but I can imagine they live in these woods.”

She gazed back out at the quiet forest, when all of sudden, in the distance, they could hear them… A whole family… A howling family of wolves calling to the moon. Steve raised his eyebrows and gasped in disbelief as he turned to her again. She was not phased but more fixated, she just kept focusing on the sounds, leaning forward towards it, almost falling since she didn’t have her walker.

“Hey, don’t fall…” he stuck out his arm and her hands gripped onto him. “How did you know?” his voice low.

“I don’t know… I could just feel it.” She clenched her jaw, “Never experienced that before…” she said as she lifted her gaze to the moon. “Steve,” she called out to him. She opened her arms and he pulled her close to him, and she kissed him. His lips soft and warm, heat radiating from the exposed skin on his face. She broke the kiss and smiled, “I’m ready for our pillow date…” she bit her lip.

He gulped hard looking into her eyes nodding in agreement, “Let’s go doll… I’ll help you in,’’ his voice deeper and sweet. He opened the door and took off her boots. She snickered as she scooted over on the inflatable mattress and he joined in, also taking off his shoes to make sure the material wouldn’t get wet from the snow. He closed the door and turned to her.

She laid down on her back, a pillow behind her head, he nestled in beside her bringing up a blanket to cover the two of them. “I have wanted to lay down with you… Like this, for a long time now,’’ his voice husky. He brought his hand to her cheek and lightly brushed the brown hair strands out of her face, noticing her cheeks slightly starting to change colour. He grinned, “You know… Trouble is… I know for sure… If I start kissing you… I won’t want to stop. I could kiss you all night.”

She looked at him with her hazel eyes, “Then…” she bit her lip… “Do it…”

His breath escaped him and his body shuttered with excitement. He brought his arm over her and pulled her close so their bodies were touching and starting kissing each other softly, enjoying the pressure and warmth on their lips pressing together.

“You’re so gentle,” she cooed.

“Well, only with you,” He stared into her eyes which almost looked black in this moonlight, “No one really sees these parts of me,’’ he said as he looked down at her lips again. “Just to warn you though… I am a man of action,’’ his voice deep, a grin on his face.

Becky giggled, “Good solider… I’m really counting on it…” as she closed her eyes and they started kissing passionately.

After a few minutes he broke the kiss, and looked at her beautiful face in the moonlight, as she rested her head on the pillow. He swallowed hard, and he breathlessly said, “Mine…” half a question, half a statement in his tone.

His blue eyes not losing connection with hers, she smiled, “Always”. He looked at her long dark hair sprawled out over the pillows behind her. Her skin taking on the pale blue moonlight, her eyes dark and loving.

He smiled and relaxed and she heard the voice in her head, _“Alpha… Is… Pleased,”_ her eyes rolled back and her heart fluttered knowing that. He narrowed his eyes at her as he bit his lip. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life. His. Always. _“Omega”._

They could see each other’s faces moving between the dark shadows and the pale tinge of moonlight coming in through the windows, accentuating their eyes, noses, hair, cheekbones, lips now swollen from all the kissing. They were both under the covers, and he asked if she wanted him to take off his shirt. Her mouth went dry and her eyes widened… she nodded. He smirked knowing it was what she wanted. She looked at his chest and had a hard time catching her breath, she loved touching his soft skin on his chest and arms. He started taking charge on top of her, making her sigh and coo and moan as he placed his hands all over her.

“Can I… Be on top of you for a few minutes?” she asked, as she bit her lip. He nodded and she got on top of him. She could feel how big he was underneath his jeans and started kissing his neck and then sucked on his earlobe, tongue flicking it while in her mouth. She wiped it immediately to kept his flesh warm from the cool air now filling the truck. He moaned lowly enjoying her affection and the visual of her on him.

He could smell her scent getting stronger, like at the New Years party. He knew to expect it this time… He smelled it up close before. He was getting an urge to bite her gland on her neck, but thought it would hurt. His next urge was to at least lick it, since it smelled so good. So, he gave in and did it. Becky arched her back and a guttural sound escaped her throat, that transitioned to a higher pitched whimper, as her eyes closed. Her face relaxed and jaw opening, letting out a sigh of desire. Shivers going down her spine. Goosebumps on the skin.

Steve loved this so much, their intensity, fire met gasoline. Put moved her under him again, they embrace and kept each other warm, his chin resting over her shoulder, her hair soft in his face smelling beautiful. “Darling… I feel… like howling…” he confessed. They both got a chuckle out of that. He leaned back and looked into her eyes assessing how she was. Her cheeks were red and hot. They started passionately kissing again, she ran her hands over his neck and shoulders, touching the skin on his arms and chest. She loved running her fingers through his soft golden locks of hair, he smelled so good. Their bodies were flush against each other.

She could feel herself getting wetter than she ever experienced since she woke up from the experiments. Whatever they did… The urges were wilder, her body vibrated just to his touch. She wanted him so badly, needed to give herself to him. Need to please him, need him to please her. Need him. Now. “Ahh…” she let escape from her mouth as his lips traveled down to the side of her neck. Her hips rolling, catching his hardness against her, he gasped at how good it felt as he looked down at how wild she was. Wanting him. It was the most beautiful he had ever seen her. He could feel the wetness now soaked through her pants, the smell nearly driving him mad. Both of them were trying to catch their breaths.

Then her eyebrows frowned in and she started to shake. Something was wrong, Steve frowned, “Becky?” She didn’t respond, her face now looked like she was in pain. The problem dawned on Steve, Becky couldn’t handle how fast her heart was beating, they told him earlier that some of her heart valves are still repairing from the gunshot wounds. Doctor’s orders not to do things that elevate heart rate to a certain extent, though she had improved a lot, he could tell this was too much for her body to handle.

She was feeling intense chest pain. Immediately closing her hands in fists and holding them close to her chest, “Ahh…” she started to feel scared.

“Becky,” he said breathlessly, “We… Need to calm down Doll… As much as I love this,” he smiled. “Too much intensity isn’t good for you, you need to lower your heartbeat.”

She felt embarrassed a bit, “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” he asked puzzled.

““I feel bad about… How I am right now… I wish…”

He cut her off with a reassuring, soft and low, “Shhhh….” She stared into his eyes, her lips swollen, she looked so beautiful to him. Then he looked at her neck, he could see the pulse beating through her skin on her neck. He narrowed his eyes concerned down to her chest and to his surprise, he could also see her heartbeat jolting her chest forward with each beat. “I’m opening a window,” he said worried. He looked back at her, “Becky… Let me see your wounds…”

She gasped, shocked and sad. She looked down at her button-down shirt and back at him.

“It’s ok, I just want to see the wounds. I won’t do anything else,” his eyes showing compassion. He could tell she was nervous as she stared down at her chest.

She avoided his gaze, and slowly started unbuttoning her shirt. Her bra was the kind that could be undone from the front. Even so, before she unhooked it, he could see a large rectangle white gauze bandage in the centre of her chest. Her hands froze when she unhooked the bra, still holding onto the ends. She couldn’t look at Steve. She slowly moved the cups the side, but held them making sure to cover her nipples.

“That’s enough, Becky,” he said in a soothing voice. She kept her hands there holding the cups in place while her heart was still pounding. He slowly took his hand and undid some of the tape around the gauze and looked at the two bullet hole wounds left behind from Fury. The moment it happened re-played in his head. Flashes of her face in agony, the screaming in the room, his failure as he got distracted by her scent.

His breath escaped him and his expression softened as the flashes in his mind stopped. There were two holes, bruising still around them. A line where an incision was made for the surgery. He froze and he leaned back, and looked away, thinking about the night he felt like he failed to keep her safe, how scared he was to lose her.

Becky could see him lost in thought, she called out to him, “Steven…” he turned his head back to her, she gave him a small smile, “I’m still here, Aren’t I?” she said reassuringly, her voice soft and caring.

He smiled back, “I think we should call it a night, Doll…” his eyes shining. She nodded, feeling her pulse becoming slower. She did her bra up and closed all the buttons on her shirt and headed to the front seat. Steve did the same, he got the truck started and the hit the road back.

She looked over at him, “Steve… I hope I didn’t ruin our night because of this.” I wanted to do more, I just couldn’t... I wish I could be a better girlfriend to you, but my body doesn’t allow me.” He remembered his mom’s aliments and reassured her, “Doll, any time I get to spend with you is wonderful.” A grin coming to his face thinking about how beautiful she looked underneath him. He would love to see him under him again. He will be thinking about that visual morning, noon, and night. “Remember what I told you?” he smiled at her, “You’re in the driver’s seat, when it comes to this. I won’t do anything you wouldn’t want me to do.”

She looked over at him, lights from the oncoming drivers coming and going on his face. He silently pressed his lips together. “What is it, Steve?” she asked.

He sighed, “There’s something about you… I don’t know if it’s because of our new bodies, but your smell… and… the way you taste when I kiss you…” That statement took her breath out of her. A dull ache in his chest, longing for more. She could feel he was wanting.

She swallowed hard, mouth salivating, she unconsciously bit her lip – holding back more urges, trying to lower her heartrate, “You always smell good to me,” she smiled sheepishly, “but I wasn’t prepared for… How good you would taste as well,” she confessed.

It took the breath out of him and he gripped the steering wheel tightly until he was white knuckled. He turned and gave her a look she hadn’t seen him do before, full of desire… making her heart flutter again… His voice shook her heart. “Doll…” he took another breath… “I would please you any way you would want. All you have to do is instruct me and I will make sure that you’ll only want me.” He took another breath, “I know you’re injured and I don’t ever want to hurt you.”

“Steve… I wanted more. I just couldn’t…” she said quietly.

He sighed, “I know sweetheart… I know…” then a grin came to his face, relaxing her. He continued, “The way you looked tonight… I’ll be dreaming of that all week.” He turned and gave her a smile. She melted just from his reassurance. He pressed on, “In the moonlight… The way you looked. Your face, your hair, your eyes, your skin…” He shook his head lightly, while looking at the road. “There’s a majesty about you… I can’t pin-point it.”

“Steve...” she said quietly, “I have such strong feelings for you…” she winced and leaned forward in pain, clenched fists over her chest. Her body started shaking slightly.

He took a sharp breath in, “I need to make sure you’re alright,” he bit his lip and took a deep breath, “You… need to go back to the hospital; make sure… we didn’t… do anything to damage your organs.”

“You’re protective of me…” half statement and half question. Her cheeks in her face were pinching and had a rosy red colour to them.

He sighed, “Always… Doll… I don’t think you understand…” He briefly smiled and looked at her again. “I don’t know, what I would do without you. No one knows me the way… You do…” his blue eyes piercing her heart through the darkness of the night.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello All,
> 
> Happy very belated New Year Everyone! I hope 2020 will be such a great year for everyone. I apologize for such a delay of this story! 
> 
> Between the Christmas holidays and moving in the new year, then I was out from the flu for 3 weeks, and now in the process of joining the Canadian military - life has been pretty hectic, but I want to take my time to write this chapter well for you guys.
> 
> Please kudo or comment and I hope you enjoy this new chapter, again, sorry for the delay. 
> 
> Lots of love - Dee

##  **Coldplay Lyrics**

**"The Scientist"**

Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry  
You don't know how lovely you are

I had to find you  
Tell you I need you  
Tell you I set you apart

Tell me your secrets  
And ask me your questions  
Oh, let's go back to the start

Running in circles  
Coming up tails  
Heads on a science apart

Nobody said it was easy  
It's such a shame for us to part  
Nobody said it was easy  
No one ever said it would be this hard

Oh, take me back to the start

I was just guessing  
At numbers and figures  
Pulling the puzzles apart

Questions of science  
Science and progress  
Do not speak as loud as my heart

Tell me you love me  
Come back and haunt me  
Oh, and I rush to the start

Running in circles  
Chasing our tails  
Coming back as we are

Nobody said it was easy  
Oh, it's such a shame for us to part  
Nobody said it was easy  
No one ever said it would be so hard

I'm going back to the start

* * *

“Becky! Becky, can you hear me?” said a woman’s voice.

She remembered walking with Steve through the hospital doors after their date had gone wrong… and then collapsing in the hallway on the way back to her room.

“Mom…?” she faintly whispered, she couldn’t open her eyes, even though she tried to, she felt so weak… Everything faded away.

* * *

“Becky…” That was Steve’s voice this time.

She still couldn’t open her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, to only have air come out, but no voice.

“It’s ok, Doll… You fell and…” Then his voice turned into inaudible murmurs and she lost consciousness again.

Next thing she knew, it was night time and she was sitting on a couch in some cottage with her mom and dad. Looked like they finished having dinner and wrapping up having tea for the evening. She caught her breath and observed nothing out of the ordinary, other than the fact that she didn’t know how she got there. She felt no pain in her chest, no injuries, nothing. Her parents were laughing and carrying on with a conversation, it looked like they were having a nice time enjoying each other’s company.

“Rebecca,” Michelle called to her, “Can you wash the pots in the kitchen sink please?”

“Yes, mom…” she said hesitantly, getting up from the couch and turning the corner, walking into the kitchen. How did she get here? Who did this cottage belong to? Something wasn’t right.

Once she walked in, she looked up to see Steve was standing by the sink, his back turned to her. He was looking out the window into the dark woods.

She took a deep breath, nervous, “_What is going on?”_ she thought. Then she faintly called his name, “Steve?”

“Yes, doll…” his voice smooth like velvet, she stepped closer to him. He turned to face her, and to her horror, he again had the same face she saw at the mall… face scraped, cuts, bruises, eyes and lips swollen. He looked as if he were beaten to death. She gasped in fright, and started stepping back away from him, “What is it, doll? Why are you scared?” he took slow, but large steps towards her.

“Steve…” her breath quivering, “Your face, what happened to you?”

He stopped in his tracks, “Awww…” he said sympathetically as took his hand and gingerly brushed some of his injuries with the tips of his fingers. He sighed, “Oh… it was unavoidable…” Becky frowned as her whole body started to shake. What was he talking about? “It’s not your fault…” he said tenderly, stepping closer to her, opening his arms as if getting ready to embrace her. She continued backing away as he stepped closer.

Becky’s eyes started watering, fear coursing through her veins as she looked out the same window he was. Expecting to see the woods, her eyes widened in terror as she saw a face of what appeared to be a monster outside watching them. His eye colour had a mix of red and yellow that stood out brightly in the darkness of the night, black fur, a wolf snout, and sharp teeth. She thought it was a werewolf, but his body, though bigger than the average, was more human-like. Once they made eye contact, he continued to stare into her eyes until she heard his voice in her head, _“Did you think it was over? Did you think you could win? Did you think you could get away? From me? No Omega… They will ALL die because of you!”_

“MOM! DAD! LOCK THE DOORS!” she screamed, but it was too late!

He jumped through the front door with a loud smash, wood and glass shattered as it crashed down all over the wooden floor. A lump in her throat, Becky couldn’t scream. He slowly stood from a four-legged position, to standing on two legs. He was huge, approximately seven feet tall. He slowly turned his head, his red and yellow eyes making contact, making her blood run cold. All of a sudden, her vision got blurry as he stepped forward; The last thing she saw was his sharp teeth, and heard a growl from the beast that vibrated through the air making her skin crawl. A few more quivering breaths and the audio started to cut out as her vision faded to black.

* * *

“Rebecca…” This voice was different…

She gasped,_ “David?”_ She thought, as darkness was the only thing she could see around her.

“Rebecca… My solider girl. You’re not done yet.”

With that, her eyes shot open! Gasps of air filling her lungs. The first person to see was Tony, who looked at her with concern, yet relief from her reaction. “She’s awake!” He yelled in the direction of the entrance to the hospital room, “How’ya doin’ little missy?” his voice deep as he leaned in closer to her.

“Tony…” she whimpered, tears streaming down the side of her face. “Fury…. Fury….”

He frowned, “Don’t worry little missy, you’ll be alright…” His chocolate brown eyes returned her gaze.

“Tony…” she trembled, “What happened? I’m cold…”

He sighed and relaxed in his chair, “We almost lost you again…”

Then the doctor entered the room and immediately locked eyes with her. “Ms. Morrison… You’re a puzzle… AND you’re a bit of handful!” Becky frowned, he sounded more like he was scolding her. “No more day passes for you until you’re recovered! You are only allowed to leave with Mr. Stark, strictly for medical treatment that the hospital is not equipped for. Now… Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, doctor…” she whispered, trying to get her voice back. She glanced over at Tony who nodded his head, much to her disappointment.

“What happened, doctor?” she groggily whispered.

“Too much pressure on the valves that were trying to heal, and holes happened. You raised your heartbeat too high. You’ve been under for a couple of weeks,” the doctor frowned, “You had internal bleeding filling up your abdominal cavity, we had to drain it; note the stitches on your abdomen.”

“What?” her eyes widened. She definitely felt them through her hospital gown, it was sore.

“We made a hole in the side of your abdomen to drain the blood that had collected there,’’ he paused looking up at Tony, “You have a lot of good friends on your side,” he looked at her charts. “Mr. Stark gave you another dosage of the nanomachines to help repair your valves, do you remember that?”  
  


“I don’t… Tony?” she turned to look at him, “Thank you… This is the second time you saved my life.”

“How did this happen?” Tony asked, totally ignoring her statement.

Becky frowned, “I was out with Steve…”

He raised his eyebrows, “Well… As much as you make hospital gowns look sexy, no more hot dates for you for a while little missy,’’ he winked at her.

She gasped, not expecting him to say that, and immediately felt her cheeks getting hot.

“Steve? Where is Steve?” she frantically moved her eyes around the room, she couldn’t smell his sent anywhere. He was nowhere to be found. This was not like him; he would normally be here. She immediately sat up in the bed, breathing heavily.

* * *

A couple of weeks earlier…

Tony grabbed the needle with the nanomachines inside. Becky couldn’t take much more of the pain in her chest, but held her hand up, “Wait… Before you put them in… Have you even thought about how you’re gonna take them out?” Steve, Tony and the doctor all paused. They had no answer for her. Becky started to feel her body shake and weakness in her arms... She sighed and resigned herself, “Ohh… Fuck!” She hissed in pain. “Do it!” she yelled, looking away out the window.

The doctor administered a tranquilizer for the pain as the nanomachines crawled their way through her veins across her body. Steve shot a sharp look at Tony, “This better not hurt her”.

Tony was offended by his remark, and looked him dead in the eyes, “I am trying to keep her alive… She was fine before she left with you, today? What happened? A shouting match… or…” he smirked and looked back at Becky who was out from the medication, “I could smell you guys from down the hall… Can’t keep it in your pants, huh, Captain?!” his voice lower.

Steve’s looked at him intensely, “Is there something you’re trying to say?” gritting his teeth.

“This is all YOUR fault!” he yelled to Steve, pointing at Becky.

Steve saw her and frowned, a rage growing inside his belly. The doctor intervened, “Both of you are causing a scene. We have patients who are trying to recover, we don’t need your drama here,’’ he said sternly. They both looked at him, knowing he was right. “Now, both of you – out!”

“But her parents are gone, I’m suppose to sta-‘’ Steve got cut off by the doctor.

“Out! Both of you gentlemen! Come back tomorrow when you know you can behave yourselves! Don’t make me get security,” he said harshly.

“I’ll watch her…” said a small voice from the doorway. It was Christina, sitting across the hallway. Steve’s heart melted as she walked forward into the room. “When I’m not in bed, I will visit her while you’re away, so she won’t be alone.”

“Thank you, Christina,” Steve smiled, his anger dissipating as he rolled the sleeves of his shirt back down to his wrist. She nodded and smiled at him.

“Bye Steve,” she waved as they headed out the door.

* * *

Present…

Becky snarled, her eyes narrowing, glaring at Tony and the doctor. Though she was still laying down in the bed, both Tony and the doctor put their arms and hands out in front of them, telling her to take it easy and slow down, reminding her she was recovering from surgery.

“Ms. Morrison, lay down! There’s more…” said the doctor.

She quivered as she took in another breath. _“Of course, there was more… There always is…”_ she thought.

“When we almost lost you, it was because of the internal bleeding. We could drain it out, but you didn’t have enough blood in your veins to make your organs work properly…” Becky frowned and swallowed hard, bracing herself for what he was going to say next. “Since you’ve been here, we have been analysing your DNA. Your blood type has changed from what was on your record as A positive to something we haven’t seen before.”

Becky now on the verge of crying held back her tears and took another breath in, “What did you do to me, doctor?”

“You were unconscious and we wanted to save your life… The closest match… to save you… was… Steve Roger’s blood.”  
  


Her eyes widened, “That can’t be….” She shook her head, “Where is he??!!”

“Ms. Morrison, he felt terrible… He left after doing the transfusion because he felt guilty for putting you in that situation… as he worded it to me.” Becky huffed, “I haven’t seen him since.”

She looked out the window seeing the city, worrying about where he was. The thoughts that must’ve been going through his head. She scoffed, and her heart ached for him. It wasn’t his fault; it was no one’s fault! “Bring him back, I want to see him.”

“I don’t know where he is,” the doctor replied.

“I’ll call him,” Tony interjected as he started walking out of the room with his phone and started dialing.

“What day is it?!” she started breathing heavily and her heartbeats started to increase, “I heard my mom’s voice… Where’s my mom?”

“It’s Friday morning.” He paused, “She and your dad are on their way here for the weekend to stay with you.”

She looked around the room, her chest trembling, “I don’t know what to do…. I need to find Steve, something is wrong doctor,” tears in her eyes.

“Rest… For God’s sake, rest!” The doctor said wide-eyed. “We need to observe you Ms. Morrison. We are still not 100% sure if Captain Rogers’ blood will mesh well with yours.”

This was true, she knew this could possibly be a bad scenario, “What could be the outcome?” she asked solemnly.

“Anything… You could be back to normal, have super human strength like him, or come down with an unknown disease…” his voice sounding ominous, “Which is why… We must watch you closely.”

There was a long silence, Becky gazed out the window remembering, “When they put me under, when this all began… I don’t know… I still don’t know to this day what chemicals they put inside me… I woke up different. Same with Steve… We don’t know who or what we are anymore. No one understands,” tears started falling, as she slowly turned her head to him, “Neither Steve, nor I, want to be an experiment,’’ slight anger gleaming in her eyes.

The doctor looked slightly intimidated, “We need to make sure you are well. I’m letting you know the facts, Ms. Morrison… This is unchartered territory to save your life… Anything could happen… But I want you to know Ms. Morrison… That getting you well again is my main priority.”

“Why? Priority because Mr. Stark is paying you?” Her voice lowered as she looked him up and down. “I just somehow doubt anything to be truly altruistic anymore,’’ she said distrustfully.

He sighed, “Fine… Come with me…” he said moving his clipboard to the side of his body.

She looked at him surprised.

“Get in your wheelchair, and I will show you,’’ he said as he pulled it up beside her bed.

Once in the chair, he took her around the hospital floor looking into each patient’s room, one of them Christina’s, who was sleeping at the time.

“I am aware you are former military, thank you for your service.”

“Thank you for the support…” she meant that genuinely.

“Look at these people Ms. Morrison… The people you so proudly served… They are suffering…” Her heart ached knowing this to be true. “The Nanomachines which were place in you can fix spots inside people without having to open them up and manually patch their insides, which would leave them exposed to airborne infections and dying… Mr. Stark has the technology AVAILABLE to help all of these people heal faster and more thoroughly. The nanomachines can reach deep parts of the body that are too dangerous as of right now operate on. The only thing standing in the way is his approval to make it so.”

“Why are you telling me this?” she turned around and looked at him seriously.

“Because Ms. Morrison, apparently he doesn’t understand the importance of serving compared to making a profit. You know Stark Industries; how do you think he pays for all the things he has access to?”

She frowned with sadness, understanding where he was coming from, “I’ll talk to him, doctor. I make no guarantees, because in the end… it is his decision. His invention… but, I hope he will do the right thing.”

The doctor nodded and took her back to her room. As they turned in, she saw Tony on his phone outside the doorway. Becky was teary-eyed from what she saw and glanced over at Tony who was slowly walking into the room with her and wrapping up a message he was writing on his phone.

She got back into her bed, and once the doctor left Tony piped up, “How are you feeling, little missy?” he asked.

“Sore…” he looked down at her as she brought her blanket over her body, “Honestly, I’m sad…”

He scoffed, “Well, we didn’t bring you back from the dead to be sad,” a hint of warmth in his voice. There was a silence between them, and Tony went and sat down beside her bed. “What is it, little missy?”

“All those people out there, Tony…” she looked at him.

He nodded, “Yes, there’s going to be plenty of them, it never stops. People, get sick,’’ he said rather coldly, as he starting typing another message in his phone.

“Tony… They could use your help… You know exactly what I’m talking about… We talked about it at Christmas dinner,” she said raising her eyebrows.

He looked her in the eyes and said nothing.

Becky rolled her eyes, “Come on Tony, give the doctor the nanotechnology, or at least let these folks get treated by it.”

“What kind of guy do you take me for?” He looked at her wide-eyed. “Do you think I don’t want to help these people?” He raised his eyebrows.

“Well…” She looked at him confused, “Why don’t they get treated the same as me?” she blinked rapidly.

Tony looked around the room to make sure no one was in ear shot, and leaned in close to her and whispered, “Because…” he frowned, “Now…” His voice got lower, “I don’t wanna scare you,” Becky’s breath hitched, “But we don’t know the long-term effects yet. Or even the short term for that matter.” She raised her eyebrows, “If there’s big problems later, and I okayed the usage of them, I may as well have sentenced these fine folks to their death.”

“Tony…” Becky shivered, “You’re testing it… out… on ME?” Her breath escaping her, “I could die?” Panic coursing through her veins, “Tony,” she growled, “I’m angry…” inhaling through her nose, “I am not an experiment. I’m a human being!”

He put both his hands over hers, “You’re more than that…” his eyes searched hers, “A friend…” This realization where Tony finally stood defused her rage. “I’ve cheated death a few times young lady, through my own inventions,” this was true she knew, “I wouldn’t give you things I wouldn’t give to myself, if I was in your situation,” then he took his knuckles and knocked on the metal piece in his chest, hearing it making a hallow sound. His eyes looking up at her as he smiled.

Becky couldn’t help but let out a small grin, “Ok, Tinman…” she paused, “So… If everything goes well… Would you release it and let it be given to those who need it?”

A silence came between them, “There needs to be more human trials…” he paused, “No offense but, you’re not the blue print for everyone else anymore. I put nanomachines in a ‘different’ kind of human... God knows how it will work for the rest of the population.” She nodded and looked down at her IV in her hand and the tubes connected to them.

“Did you get a hold of Steve?” she asked, concern in her eyes.

“No,” he sighed, “No answer on his phone. I know he has been back a few times to the tower from security footage, but he only stays for a short time before he goes back out again. He’s gone for days at a time, he definitely doesn’t want to be found right now,” he paused, “I should put a GPS on that guy,” he muttered under his breath.

“No!” Becky said firmly, giving him a death stare. “You have me, I can smell him. You don’t track him. He doesn’t deserve that. He knows where to find me.”  
  


“Let me guess, precious freedoms?” he said sarcastically.

Becky grimaced and gritted through her teeth, a rage forming in her belly, “You don’t know how precious your freedom is Tony…” they locked eyes, “You don’t know… Like everything else that’s important… You don’t know how special it is until after it get’s taken away from you. Think about that!”

There was a long silence, as Becky looked down at the ground and started thinking about all the places Steve could go. Could he be at the church they went to? Maybe the places he grew up? Maybe the Brooklyn Bridge? She would have to go there and sniff and follow his sent, hopefully she could find something.

“Are you going to join the team once you’re better?” That question caught her off guard. Becky looked at the ground still in thought. Her muscles relaxed as she laid back in her bed.

He adjusted himself in his seat and then moved so close to her, he was inches away from her face. Again, another silence between them. His chocolate brown eyes gave her an almost affectionate gaze. Becky was confused. “Why are you so on the fence about this?” his voice almost at a whisper volume.

Becky thought careful about her words. She wanted to be honest and straightforward, “I’m afraid,” she swallowed hard.

“Afraid of what?” he listened intensely.

She took a deep breath, “I have trust issues, and… I don’t look at people the same way ever since…” she wasn’t stupid, he must’ve known the whole time, he treated her… _differently_. It was hard not to notice. “If you’ve read my file, you know what happened to me and why I really left the military…” she glared at him, “You know…” she paused, her voice low, “Things were not handled properly. My team abandoned me, left me in his hands. I never wanna trust again.”

Tony slowly reached his hand over and moved a strand of her brown hair out of her face and place it behind her ear. “This team, is different…” Becky scoffed and shook her head, “What do I have to do to make you say yes?” he said softly, a small side smile appeared on his face.

Becky took a deep breath, trying to think of how to answer him. Then… memories came back to when she first met him, how his eyes flickered when they connected their gaze first connected, when he first voiced noticing those glands on their necks. Then, later on, when he had the proposition for them to join his team, how he looked at her the same way he was now. Affectionately…

Tony leaned in and planted multiple soft kisses on the side of her face, from her temple to her cheek. It took Becky a few seconds to realize what he was doing. Her eyes widened and she slightly leaned away, turning to face him and gazed into his eyes, her face stoic. She wasn’t upset. She just understood now.

Becky nodded, and slowly said, “I see what it is…” a small smile coming to her face. “Tony,’’ her voice low, “You’re an inventor…” she grinned, “You are an engineer,” she cleared her throat, “You… Like to take things apart and put them back together, see how things work.” She looked him up and down, “You think me a mystery from the moment you first saw me, didn’t you?” her stare piercing through his heart, never expecting to hear these words.

“You… Never have seen a woman quite like me before… I… spark your curiosity…” her voice almost sounding seductive to Tony’s ears, he did feel this way, just never fully acknowledged it. Their eye connection strong, she continued, “I am not… built for you…” she slowly took another breath in, “You’re interested in the novelty… of me…” Tony felt almost turned on by this, “You wanna know, all my parts… Inside and out…How I work… but… what you feel… it’s not real Tony…” she said as she gazed into his eyes.

“Maybe it is…” his voice soft.

Becky was not intimidated by this, he was saying what he wanted to hear for himself, she lovingly grinned at him, “It’s not…” she lightly shook her head, “Once you know how I work, I will no longer be interesting to you… and I will be… Like an old toy in your workshop, that you would throw out for a shinier upgrade that comes along later…”

He said nothing but continued to look her straight in the eye as she was hitting all his heart strings. He loved a woman who would challenge him. He knew deep down she was right, but didn’t want to admit it. Becky could sense this.

She continued, “I am not built for you…” she repeated as she turned her neck to expose her gland, vulnerable to the touch.

He looked at it and frowned and looked back into her eyes, “Maybe I am…” he was persistent.

Becky knew what to do, this was all in Tony’s imagination. He thinks it would be better than it would be in real life. So, she made a bold move. Something she never would’ve done normally. Something changed in her this time since she went under last.

She sighed and leaned forward, bringing her face closer to his. Tony’s eyes widened, “You won’t feel the chemistry you’re looking for…” her voice certain, her gaze soft yet intensely piercing all his mental defenses. She was built for Steve. She knew it. Tony didn’t want to believe it. “Kiss me, and you’ll see… It won’t be as good as you think,” she momentarily looked down at his lips and then back into his eyes.

Her statement took Tony’s breath away, he couldn’t believe what he just heard. This was the only way for Tony to know what she already knew. He would be disappointed, even if he talked himself into thinking he had chemistry with her. He looked down at her lips, he wanted them.

He slowly leaned into her face, closing his eyes as his lips pressed on her mouth. The initial brush of their lips together did excite him, so he pushed for a deeper kiss opening her mouth and pushing his tongue inside… but something wasn’t right. Though it felt warm, though it was in fact her lips he was kissing, she was right… Something he was hoping to find was missing. There was no spark, no chemistry, no feeling in the kiss that makes you want to come back for more. He put his tongue back in his mouth, there was something off in the way she tasted. He removed his lips from her’s and slowly pulled away, discontented. Becky looked at him in a reassuring, almost apologetic manner, and clenched her jaw. She could read everything in his eyes.

“I told you,” she whispered, her hazel eyes staring into his chocolate brown eyes, “So… Now that that’s out of the way, is my invitation to join the team revoked? Are you gonna drop me like a hot potato?” her walls coming up, bracing for rejection and hurt.

Tony shook his head, his eyes wide in shock, _“Where did she come up with these ideas? Fear?” _he shot her a look and frowned, “No!’’ he scoffed, “I want to build a team,” he looked into her eyes one last time, “Do you trust me?”

She looked at him with pleading eyes, “I… I want to…”

He nodded and got up out of his seat, put on his sun glasses and started walking out the door. Anxiety flooded through her, “Tony, where are you going?”

“Rest, Little Missy. You’ll need it,” he straightened up, “I’ll be back in a couple of days. I do have a company to run. Pepper is gone.”

Becky frowned, “She’s gone? I thought you and her would be so good together?”

He sighed, “Yeah...” trying to shrug it off.

“Are we good? Are you ok?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he seemed distant, “Rest up,” he paused taking another look at her from the doorway of her room, “I’m glad you didn’t die.”

“Thank you for everything, Tony… and… I’m sorry it’s not… as you hoped,” she said sincerely, she could sense his loneliness.

He paused, and looked away, “Your parents are going to be here soon,’’ Becky watched as he left the room and turned to walk down the hall.

She looked down and frowned. Where was Steve? Two weeks since he’s been in the hospital with her. The missions hadn’t started yet, she was worried. This wasn’t like him, _“Where is he?”_

* * *

“This is all YOUR fault,” Tony voice stilled echoed in his head. Maybe he was right.

The sound of the waves calmed him, back and forth they went, the sound soothing his mind. He used to go to the water as a child, with questions in his soul, reflecting on his lot in life. Wondering if he would live a long life in a body that could only be strong enough to do so little. Wondering if his sicknesses would ever get better, if he could live a different life. He had not come to terms with his deficiencies until he was a teenager. Knowing his self-worth was more than he could physically output, more than people would ever notice, it hurt, but it helped him know that it wasn’t his everything to determine his value.

He gave her his blood, his post super solider serum blood, not knowing the consequences. He only wanted to save her life. He felt he was just as guilty for experimenting on her as Fury was. He couldn’t face her. If she turned for the worst, he would never be able to forgive himself. He walked the city streets for days, in the coat she got him. The only way to feel close to her as guilt still festered in his heart, remembering how again she collapsed to the ground.

Maybe he was just bad news for her? He had never felt so distanced and out of place walking through his own neighbourhood, so out of touch. She made his day bright. Now the days were cold and dark, he felt numb on the inside and so far away from connecting with anything. 

He walked along the Brooklyn bridge, no one was around, an inner darkness gripping his heart. His thoughts started to run away with him, fantasizing of jumping into the cold water and freezing in the ice again, like in the plane all those years ago, only… maybe be successful in dying this time. Maybe Becky and the world would be better off without him? He didn’t belong. How could he do a job to save the world if he couldn’t keep just one person he loved safe, his confidence was shattered.

He was standing on the edge of the bridge, ready to end his life as hitting the water would be like hitting a hard surface.

* * *

Becky laid down, thinking about what happened between her and Tony, second guessing if it was the right call for him to kiss her, so he’d finally understand. Then she felt a chill going up and down her spine, she almost thought it was fever related, until she felt her heart hurt. She stared at the heart monitor; everything was normal. She frowned, as the pain got worse, this time it was ripping into her back, between her shoulder blades. She closed her eyes and listened to her steady heart beat. This wasn’t making any sense.

She took a few deep breaths, and started to hear Steve’s voice… “It’s my fault…”

_“What?” _she thought.

“It is all my fault, I shouldn’t be here…”

Becky focused, her eyes still closed, her vision just seeing the back of her eyelids… Until she could see something else… Water! She felt rain or splashes on her neck and drops rolling down her fingers. The cold wind blowing through her hair, the sun on her skin. She wasn’t outside! _“What is this?”_

More words, Steve’s voice, “She’s better off without me…”

“No!” she called out to him. She could still see the water, now the tips of his shoes… He was going to jump. “No!” She scrunched her face and prayed with all her might that he could hear her. “Steve… Where are you? You are loved. Love can bring you back from the brink. Come back to me.” Then the connection was suddenly severed.

Becky’s eyes flew open, sweat dripping down the side of her face as she caught her breath. She couldn’t feel him anymore… “Steve…” she said breathlessly, “I love you, come back to me.


End file.
